G 1/24 has now been issued, and concludes “The description and any drawings are always referred to when interpreting the claims, and not just in the case of unclarity or ambiguity.” With this simple…
Defining antibodies by functional features is not always straightforward at the EPO. T326/22 is a nice example of how this can be achieved.
To briefly recap the standard EPO approach, an…
One of the most highly debated issues at the UPC before its commencement was the question, how the UPC would deal with validity of patents – would it essentially take over the EPO’s course? Or would…
On 14 May, the EPO published the study Standards and the European patent system. The study seeks to improve transparency in the relationship between standards and patents in Europe, by providing…
As spring turns to summer and the days grow longer across EPC Member States (and, in some cases, banish darkness entirely with the midnight sun!), many of us in the IP community eagerly await the…
On 9 January 2025 I reported on Parts 1 and 2 of a three-part article in EPI Information by Tamaris Bucher, a Principal Patent Attorney at Novartis Pharma AG, on the current approach to antibody…
One critical factor in developing generative AI is access to a large amount of well-structured data. As such, the EPO is sitting on a goldmine when it comes to AI tools for patent law. I was…
The festive period normally leads to a slight slow-down in work in Europe and as such, it can provide the opportunity to catch up on wider reading as well as to grab a little rest. In between the…
Although plastics are essential to the economy, plastic pollution is threatening ecosystems all over the planet. Plastic waste remains in the environment, taking from decades to centuries to…
