Europe

With relatively high opposition rates to granted food chemistry patents, Emily Flood and Gamze Gezer-Voerknecht of NLO explain how innovators can protect their intellectual property in an increasingly competitive and fast-moving market

Marco Stief of Maiwald argues that the District Court of The Hague missed an opportunity to clarify the uncertainty surrounding the term ‘first authorisation’ in Article 3(d) of the SPC Regulation in a recent judgment

Jakob Pade Frederiksen of Inspicos highlights how a recent ruling relating to the applicable standard for inventive step assessment diverges from the EPO’s problem-solution approach

Anne-Raphaëlle Aubry of Bird & Bird explains how Section 1782 and Rule of Procedure 190 offer different pathways for cross-border evidence gathering in European patent disputes, highlighting timing, scope, and strategic considerations for litigants

Edward J Farrington of Inspicos explains how G 2/24 confirms that a third-party intervener does not acquire appellant status once all original appeals are withdrawn

Fabian Kiendl and Christian Schäflein of Maiwald examine how AI engineering can yield patentable inventions and consider the protection of such solutions in automotive technology under the European Patent Convention