Patents

Before applying for a patent application it is worth carrying out a search through published patents and other documents such as trade catalogues, you can carry out a search yourself, although the results might not be as comprehensive as you would want, or alternatively, we can conduct a search for you and provide an analysis of the results.

What is a Patent? Part 2

In order to be patentable an invention must be:

novel, the invention must not be already known to the public before the date a patent is applied for;
inventive, the invention must not be an obvious modification of what is already known; and
capable of industrial application, that is, the invention can be made or used in any kind of industry.

What is a Patent? Part 1

A patent is a limited monopoly that is granted in return for the disclosure of technical information. A patent is an intellectual property right which is granted as a territorial right for a limited period.

Patent rights make it illegal for anyone except the owner or a third party with the owner’s permission to make, use, import or sell the invention in the country where the patent was granted.

A UK patent has a life of 20 years provided that the renewal fees are paid every year, and provides protection in the UK only.

Changes to time limit for filing EP divisional applications

By John Rule.

On 1 April 2014 the rules regarding filing divisional applications stemming from European Patent applications changed. The changes in the rules mean that decisions regarding divisional application strategy no longer need to be made early under the short-lived "two-year" rule that previously applied.

What is a patent? Part 3