IP updates Hey Xiao-i: Apple Faces £1.1 Billion Patent Lawsuit After China’s Supreme Court Restores Validity of Xiao-i Patent Xiao-i is seeking 10 billion yuan (£1.10 billion) in damages, and demands that Apple cease “manufacturing, using, promising to sell, selling, and importing” products that infringe on the patent. This move could prevent Apple from selling most of its products in its second-largest market.
IP updates UK Formally Withdraws Ratification of Legislation for the Unitary Patent (UP) and Unified Patent Court (UPC) The UK has now formally withdrawn its ratification of legislation supporting the Unified Patent Court, as first reported yesterday in a statement made in parliament by Amanda Solloway MP.
IP updates Expandable Garden Hoses – A Seemingly Simple Mechanical Patent The Court of Appeal decision in E. Mishan & Sons Limited v Hozelock & Ors concerns that rare beast – a dispute over a simple mechanical patent which requires no specialist knowledge to understand.
IP updates G1/19 – The Patentability of Computer-Implemented Simulations On July 15, 2020, the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBoA) of the European Patent Office held a hearing regarding the patentability of computer-implemented simulations. Although no decision has been made yet, the decision of the EBoA is highly anticipated by many stakeholders due to the growing significance of computer simulations in product design.
IP updates Sky’s the Limit Lord Justice Arnold has handed down a further judgment in the long-running trade mark dispute between the TV broadcaster and telephony/broadband service provider Sky and the cloud management software provider Skykick.
IP updates The Benefits of Ecolabels The range of environmental issues facing the planet have made it increasingly important for consumers to be aware of the environmental impact of their purchases. It is also increasingly important for businesses to consider how they can minimise the environmental impact of their operations.
IP updates Oral Proceedings by VC: An Emergency Measure or the New Normal? The EPO has offered the option of attending Examination oral proceedings by videoconference (VC) since 1998 but, until recently, less than 10% of Examination oral proceedings were held by VC. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Europe, the possibility to hold oral proceedings by VC has gained unprecedented importance.
IP updates Of Molecules & Medicine: G3/19 – Peppers, Politics, and Non-Patentability In a controversial departure from its earlier decision “Broccoli/Tomatoes II” and a blow to Applicants in the field of agritech, the Enlarged Board of Appeal in “Peppers” holds that plants and animals exclusively obtained by means of an essentially biological process are not patentable at the EPO through applications filed on/after 1 July 2017.
IP updates Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court not for the UK The UK government has just now made it clear that the UK will not be taking part in the Unified Patent Court (UPC) or Unitary Patent (UP) system. This is a volte face on its previously publicised position, but comes as no great surprise.
