Latest News

16.10.2024

Following a criminal complaint filed by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in September 2024 the criminal court of Munich, Germany has convicted three fraudsters for sending misleading payment requests to trade mark owners.

The defendants’ conduct was considered commercial fraud, leading to a sentence of 22 months imprisonment for each defendant and the confiscation of €200,000 (the amount unlawfully obtained) to be used for compensation.

30.08.2024

What’s the UPC and what’s changing?

The commencement of the new Unified Patent Court (UPC) and Unitary Patent System on 1^st June 2023, was the culmination of decades of work to further harmonise and unify the patent law landscape in Europe. With the arrival of the new court, rights holders have been granted a new forum for litigation and patent enforcement which allows a single decision to have a binding effect in multiple national European states, while a single Unitary Patent (UP) can be maintained to preserve rights in all of the UPC signatory states.

From its inception in 2023, the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) has had effect in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Sweden, a region home to more than 330 million people.

15.05.2024

WP Thompson was among the winners in SME News Magazine's 2024 UK Legal Awards.

14.05.2024

Artificial Intelligence

The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has recently updated its guidelines for examining patent applications relating to artificial intelligence (AI) following the landmark court decision in Emotional Perception AI Ltd v Comptroller-General of Patents. This decision has significant implications for the patentability of AI inventions in the UK, particularly those involving artificial neural networks (ANNs). In this article, we explore the key takeaways from the Emotional Perception decision, the updates to the patent examination guidelines, and provide practical advice for those seeking to protect their AI innovations.