News
Scott & Cork: Scottish University files for a patent on whisky biofuel
Edinburgh Napier University have developed a biofuel made from whiskey by-products, which is believed to work in ordinary cars without modification. ....
US Supreme Court ruling rules on the patentability of software and business methods
The US Supreme Court on 28 June 2010 issued the long awaited decision in Bilski et al. ....
EPO Enlarged Board Opinion G03/08, Patentability of Software Claims – Our Comments
As mentioned in our news item of 13 May 2010, the decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal was issued on 12 May 2010. The President of the EPO had referred four questions to the Enlarged Board, relating to the patentability of Computer Software claims. The Enlarged Board ruled that all four questions were inadmissible. ...
New Coalition Government Opens Fast-lane for PCT(UK) Applications
As of 28 May 2010, patent applicants can request accelerated examination in the UK national phase if they have received a 'positive' International Preliminary Report on Patentability. This initiative was introduced...
EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal issues Decision on the Patentability of Software Claims
The long-awaited ruling of the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal on the Patentability of Computer Software Claims (case G 03/08) was issued on 12 May 2010. As expected in many quarters, the Enlarged Board ruled that the President's Reference, by which the matter was brought before the Enlarged Board, was inadmissible. The formal opinion is 56 pages long. It appears to focus narrowly on the issue of admissibility and not to try to clarify the law on software claims. However, we have not yet reviewed it for any interesting statements on software patentability that may be buried in it. We shall do so shortly and will update this item.
Scott & York Publishes Position Paper on China
Scott & York has today published a position paper on Intellectual Property Protection in China.
Swiss-type Second Medical Use Claims No Longer Allowed at EPO - New Enlarged Board of Appeal Decision
The EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal issued a decision in case G02/08 on 19 February 2010 relating to patentability of new dosage regimes in second medical use claims...
Patentability of Methods of Treatment by Surgery - New EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal Decision
The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office issued its decision in case G01/07 on 15 February 2010. The case relates to exclusions from patentability of methods for treatment by surgery...
EPO Enlarged Board Prohibits Changing the Language of Proceedings
The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office has issued its decision in case G04/08 (presently only published in French). The decision concerns changing the “language of proceedings”...
Apple faces problems over 'iPad' name
Amid the media frenzy surrounding Apple's recent launch of the new iPad tablet computer comes news that Apple could be involved in a trade mark dispute with Fujitsu over the IPAD name...