Europe
A handful of US firms have quietly invested in European patent talent. Recent moves by Baker Botts and K&L Gates suggest that trend may be accelerating
The UK Supreme Court’s decision in Tesla v Avanci enhances the UK's attractiveness for global FRAND battles, say lawyers at Simmons & Simmons
PE-backed practices now comprise the majority of ranked firms for patent prosecution in the Netherlands, but competitors are confident about their decision to remain independent
K&L Gates and Baker Botts have recruited leading patent practitioners from Wende IP and EIP, respectively, as they seek to strengthen European patent litigation capabilities
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Sponsored by InspicosUnder the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the EPO has postponed all oral proceedings in opposition scheduled for the rest of the year. Only oral proceedings already scheduled to take place by videoconference or to be held by videoconference with the parties' consent will take place this year. Oral proceedings in examination are still being held by videoconference whilst oral proceedings in appeal in principle still take place as scheduled. -
Sponsored by Patrinos & KilimirisDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, IP practitioners in Greece welcomed the new law on trademarks, under which Directive (EU) 2015/2436 was transposed into national law. There was no reason for any caution in this respect, since the implementation had been awaited since January 12 2019, which was the deadline for Greece to transpose the directive.
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Sponsored by Gorodissky & PartnersA Chinese company "Wedo Tools Co" trading in hand tools established dealership relations with a Russian company which became its exclusive distributor in Russia. The parties concluded a distributorship agreement after which the Russian company registered its company name as "Wedo Rus." The parties also concluded another agreement according to which the designation "Wedo" should be registered in Russia as a trademark in the name of the Chinese company.
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Sponsored by InspicosThe Enlarged Board of Appeal of the EPO (EBA) has recently issued opinion G 3/19, which concludes that plants and animals exclusively obtained by “essentially biological processes” are exempt from patentability. This finding only affects patents derived from patent applications filed after July 1 2017.
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Sponsored by MaiwaldIn the present case, the German Federal Court of Justice again had to deal with the question of how a representation of information within the meaning of Article 52(2)(d) EPC is to be distinguished from a technical feature.
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Sponsored by Gorodissky & PartnersThe customs initiated an administrative court case at the Commercial Court of St Petersburg against Foreign Brands, a Russian company that imported goods labelled with a trademark "Dr Pepper Est. 1885." This is a routine procedure for customs authorities when they suspect transportation of counterfeit goods through the border. The owner of the trademark in such cases is a third person with limited participation in the proceedings
European Jurisdictions