Having failed to reach agreement, the European Parliament referred the issues back to the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament which were discussed and debated yesterday. It was concluded that the European Parliament would reconvene in September 2012 to see if an agreement on the proposals could be reached after a Summer of reflection.
Proposals on the Unitary European Patent are delayed until September 2012
Patent litigation – Motorola v Apple
Most patents are said to live uninteresting lives but occasionally a granted patent is used in litigation against another party. Very occasionally, the case comes to the attention of the wider public. Marc Morgan, an Associate at Maschio & Soames LLP was interested to learn recently that a patent application, EP0818009 “Message Communications System” that he drafted and filed way back in 1996 when he worked at Motorola was successfully used in litigation against Apple last year.
Protected titles
A lingerie shop owner in Melton Mowbray has been told to strip a display of five rings as they resemble the protected Olympic symbol. Gourmets amongst you will no doubt find it interesting that this takes place in the town made famous by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie which is itself a protected title. Only pies made in this region may use the title. Another Intellectual Property link in this story is that the pigs finding their admirably selfless resting place amidst the jelly and delicious pastry are fattened on the waste products from the production of Stilton cheese which is yet another protected title.
Revised Guidelines for Examination at the European Patent Office (EPO) enter into force
The revised Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office (EPO) entered into force on 20 June 2012 and are available online here.
Free patent translation from the European Patent Office (EPO)
The EPO and Google have been working together to bring a free patent translation service optimised for patent documents. Patent Translate currently covers translations between English and German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish, but will be extended in the coming years.
Click here for further information.
The European Patent Office (EPO) welcomes historic breakthrough on the unitary patent
Vacancy for a qualified or part qualified patent attorney with a Life Sciences background
We are currently seeking a talented qualified or part qualified patent attorney with a Life Sciences background for our Southampton office. The ideal candidate will have an excellent academic record and a PhD in a related field. Some commercial experience would be preferred but is not essential. We would be particularly interested to hear from candidates with experience in molecular biology and/or immunology. We offer a supportive and friendly team environment, excellent personal and professional development opportunities and competitive remuneration. Please see the Careers page for more information.
Maschio & Soames LLP website launch
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website – www.maschiosoames.com. We will be updating this page regularly with legal updates on UK and European practice and our firm news.