News & Resources

29.01.18

January 2018 bulletin


PCT fees changes as of 1 January 2018


UK patent fees changes on 6 April 2018


US patent fees changes as of 16 January 2018


Unitary Patent Guide

  • The first edition of “Unitary Patent Guide” is now available. It aims to provide companies, inventors and their representatives with an outline of the procedure involved in obtaining a Unitary Patent from the European Patent Office (EPO) once it has granted a European patent on the basis of the provisions laid down in the European Patent Convention (EPC). Please see http://www.epo.org/law-practice/unitary/unitary-patent/unitary-patent-guide.html


EPO agreement with Tunisia entered into force on 1 December 2017

  • An agreement allowing European patent applications and patents to be validated for Tunisia also enters into force.


EU Commission sets middle course for SEP licensing in Europe

  • The EU Commission has published a document on standard essential patent (SEP) licensing entitled “Setting out the EU approach to Standard Essential Patents” containing 14 pages of key principles aimed at fostering a “balanced, smooth and predictable framework for SEPs”. The key principles reflect two stated objectives: (1) incentivising the development and inclusion of technologies in standards by providing fair/adequate return and (2) ensuring fair access to standardized technologies to promote wide dissemination.Please see http://ipkitten.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/eu-commission-sets-middle-course-for.html


WIPO Translate extends language coverage

  • World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)’s ground-breaking “artificial intelligence”-based translation tool for patent documents is now available in ten languages, marking an important expansion of the highest-quality service yet available for accessing information on new technologies. Please see http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2017/article_0007.html


China Tops Patent, Trademark, Design Filings in 2016

  • Worldwide filings for patents, trademarks and industrial designs reached record heights in 2016 amid soaring demand in China, which received more patent applications than the combined total for the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the EPO. Please see http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2017/article_0013.html


New EPO president


Teaching IP to kids

Share this page:
Back
In this section