Recognizing the need for companies to quickly get products to market that might help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Patent & Trademark Office is now paving the way for shorter examination timelines for qualifying trademark applications. This could prove especially useful in …›
On May 1, 2020 the last part of the German Trademark Law Modernization Act (Markenrechtsmodernisierungsgesetz – “MaMoG”), which contains practical relevant amendments to the procedural rules of the German trademark system, took effect. In particular, an administrative procedure for the revocation and the invalidation …›
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced a Prioritized Examination Pilot Program for COVID-19-related patent applications. To qualify, an applicant must be a small entity or micro-entity and the application must contain at least one claim covering products or process that are …›
The increase in AI-related patent filings in the past few years has given rise to unique questions about the current patent system. In particular, the question of whether an AI system can or should be named as an inventor on a patent application has …›
Patent applicants facing a funds shortage because of COVID-19 may be glad to hear that many patent offices have extended certain patent prosecution deadlines. For example, the U.S. Patent Office has extended various patent deadlines until June 1, 2020 and the European Patent Office …›
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread globally, the life sciences industry is at the forefront of addressing the urgent need for pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, ventilators, and personal protective equipment capable of helping to contain the surge. While the laws of many countries provide for certain …›
With brexited UK announcing that it will not join Europe’s long-awaited Unified Patent Court (UPC), the establishment of an efficient pan-European patent litigation system faces ever‑mounting challenges. Last Friday, the German Federal Constitutional Court declared that the German Act of Approval of the UPC …›
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) just issued new rules that directly affect trademark owners. Going forward, trademark applicants, registrants, and parties to a proceeding before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board will need to provide their email address in USPTO …›
The European Patent Office has denied two patent applications on the grounds that an AI system cannot be listed as the inventor. For the first time, the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued a ruling on its approach to patent applications that designate artificial intelligence …›
Elizabeth Freeman Rosenzweig, a Morrison & Foerster law clerk in our San Francisco office, Biology PhD, and JD candidate at Berkeley Law, contributed to the writing of this article. On January 6, 2020, the Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) released the final version of its …›