MEWBURN ELLIS LLP
MEWBURN ELLIS LLP is one of the UK's largest firms of Chartered Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorneys, European Trade Mark Attorneys and European Design Attorneys. We serve clients from the UK and all around the world, covering the full range of intellectual property issues: Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Industrial Copyright and related matters.
MEWBURN ELLIS LLP is one of the UK's largest firms of Chartered Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorneys, European Trade Mark Attorneys and European Design Attorneys. We serve clients from the UK and all around the world, covering the full range of intellectual property issues: Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Industrial Copyright and related matters.
NEW EPO FEES TO PENALISE ‘LONG’ APPLICATIONS
New rules are coming into force at the EPO which that will change the fees payable on European patent applications filed on or after 1 April 2009. The changes will also apply to PCT applications entering the European regional phase on or after that date. The most important changes are the introduction of a 'flat rate' designation fee and a new 'page fee' for each page over 35 in the application. The new page fee in particular provides an incentive to file ‘long’ applications at the EPO before 1 April.
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EPO Decision in WARF stem cell case: G02/06
The EPO's Enlarged Board of Appeal has issued a decision on a patent application from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) relating to human stem cells. The Enlarged Board has confirmed that patents will not be granted for inventions which can only be exploited by the use and destruction of human embryos.
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EPO President refers questions to Enlarged Board about software-related inventions
The EPO President Alison Brimelow has referred four questions to the Enlarged Board of Appeal at the EPO. This referral seeks to clarify the current position on the patentability of software inventions and is likely to be of great interest to both the software industry and those in the UK legal profession.
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