Bulletins
9 February
2023
Bulletins
Clinical trials and prior disclosure – a difficult balancing act for patentees
The European Patent Office (EPO) has recently ruled that patients in a clinical trial were not members of the public such that the trial did not constitute prior public use of a pharmaceutical formulation (Board of Appeal decision T 0670/20). This decision adds to the growing body of EPO case law surrounding the topic of...
19 January
2023
Bulletins
Change to compliance period of UK divisional applications
The way of determining the compliance period of a UK divisional application is changing on 1 May 2023. From 1 May 2023 a newly-filed divisional application will be accorded a compliance period which is the same as the original and un-extended compliance period of the original parent application (i.e. the original UK application at the...
7 December
2022
Bulletins
EPO confirms that practice of conducting oral proceedings by videoconference will continue, including before opposition divisions
The EPO has recently issued a decision confirming that oral proceedings before examining divisions, the Legal Division, the Receiving Section and now, permanently, opposition divisions will be held by videoconference (VICO) unless there are serious reasons for holding these in person. This decision issues as we approach the expiry of the pilot for holding opposition...
5 December
2022
Bulletins
UPC Announces Two Month Delay to Start Date
The Unified Patent Court (UPC) have today announced that the start of the Sunrise Period for the new UPC is being delayed by two months to 1 March 2023. This means that the court itself will now open its doors on 1 June 2023. There had been widespread calls in recent weeks for a delay...
28 November
2022
Bulletins
EPO announces transitional measures for the Unitary Patent to encourage an early uptake
As we wait to see if the previously indicated start date for the sunrise period of the opening of the #UnifiedPatentCourt is the actual start date, the EPO has confirmed it will be introducing two transitional measures for users with European patent applications that have reached the final stage of the prosecution procedure, and where...
Newsletter
BWT Boult Bite TM Magazine Spring 2021
Welcome to the Spring edition of boult.bites. Inside this issue you will find our main article: Brexit four months on, which discusses getting to grips with the changes and challenges of the UK in its post-EU landscape. You will also find: Insight articles and team news, including our staying connected staff profile on Katharina Baker, a trade mark attorney in our London office.
boult.bites TM Brexit Edition 2021
In this Brexit special edition of boult.bites TM we discuss the impact of post Brexit within the IP world. We have included a check list with key steps you should consider for rights holders.
Brexit latest including a summary of the post Brexit changes on and our Brexit news articles covering recent major changes that affect pending actions at the EUIPO before 31 December 2020, use and reputation in the UK going forward and changes to geographical indications from 1 January 2021.
Welcome to the Autumn edition of boult.bites TM. In this issue, we discuss the important changes to trade mark and design rights in the UK and the steps you can take. We highlight our readiness for the new Brexit world, having full-service offices in the UK, Germany, and Spain And, we throw the spotlight on Alexander Stolz, a German Solicitor in our Berlin office.
View allBe Brexit-ready with our Brexit toolkit