Inventive step

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 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…

The Russian Patent Office (Rospatent) has introduced new provisions relating to the assessment of patentability of “use” inventions. Background On September 27, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Economic…

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…

On 30 October 2024, the District Court of the Hague handed down two merits decisions on the widely litigated apixaban patent of Bristol-Myers Squibb (see here and here - Dutch language versions). EP…

In case you missed it, here are the main points from the EPO Boards of Appeal Case Law Conference 2024. As ever, this was a really interesting event with lots of high quality presentations. Above all…

UPC 252/2023 NanoString v Harvard ACT_551180/2023 (UPC_CFI_252/2023) The UPC’s Munich Central Division has recently issued its decision revoking Harvard’s EP 2794928 B1 (“the Patent”) in DE, NL, and…

On 8 October 2024, Mr Justice Meade handed down judgment in BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc., (together, BioNTech/Pfizer) v CureVac SE. Meade J found CureVac's patents, relating to split poly(A) tails in…