Opinions at the UK Intellectual Property Office
The UK Intellectual Property Office launched its Patent Opinions Service some twenty years ago with the aim of providing businesses with a quick and affordable assessment of patent validity or infringement. Whilst these Patent Opinions are non-binding, they have proven to provide a low cost route to resolving patent disputes quickly (Opinions are issued within three […]
International Trade, Tariffs and Intellectual Property Rights
What do tariffs and intellectual property rights have in common? Both are trade barriers. Intellectual property rights award monopoly rights allowing the owner to exclude all others, whereas tariffs seek to exclude foreign goods by making those goods more expensive. Tariffs have been around for longer than patents and are once again en vogue. The […]
UK Intellectual Property Office – SME Financial Support Scheme
Businesses in product development may be familiar with the UK Intellectual Property Offices’ IP Audit and IP Access schemes. These schemes have now been rolled into one new scheme, IP Advance, which launched as a pilot on 15 July 2024. The ‘IP Advance Programme’ IP Advance is a tiered funding programme designed to provide support to SMEs at different stages […]
European patents and the EU unitary patent
After many years of planning, the EU Unitary Patent System will soon become a reality, allowing all participating States to be bound together in single, indivisible patent.
Opting out of the Unified Patent Court
During a transition period (currently seven years), disputes relating to traditionally validated European patents my be litigated in either the UPC or the national courts of the Member States that have contracted to the UPC Agreement.
The Patent Box
The Patent Box is a proposed Government scheme allowing UK companies to reduce the amount of Corporation Tax paid in respect of profits relating to inventions protected by a UK patent or other qualifying European patent.
