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Do I have to identify the designer?
It is possible to waive the name of the designer when filing a European Community Design, but you should be sure that you have the rights to the design
Blog
New Discounted Fees for European Patents
Fees for European patent applications are changing from 1 April 2024. These include reductions for small companies and even the abolition of some fees. Internal renewal fees are rising by less than the rate of inflation resulting in a decrease since 2016 in absolute terms.
Finding AI difficult to understand? Get some matchboxes.
There’s been a lot of fuss made about artificial intelligence in the last twelve months, and some of it has been about artificial intelligence and intellectual property.
Are Dead Patents Free to Use?
A granted patent will always lapse or expire eventually, normally by 20 years from the date it was originally filed, and plenty of patents permanently lapse earlier than that for a variety of reasons. With that in mind, you might rightly wonder: is it safe to copy the invention that was in the patent? The answer is not as straightforward you might think.
Trade Marks – the myths and reality of UK practice
10 misplaced assumptions
1. I have registered my company name and domain name, so I’ve done everything I need to do.
2. If I change my trade mark slightly by adding something extra, I will avoid an infringement action
Do aircraft parts need to be patented abroad?
If you are a designer of a new aircraft part, and have filed a UK patent application to protect the part domestically, you may wonder if you need to file foreign patent applications to protect the invention abroad. Patents are territorial. A UK patent to an aircraft part could be used to stop someone, amongst some other acts, making, selling, or using that part in the UK.
Can you patent Software?
It sounds like a simple enough question, but the answer is that 'it depends!' UK and European law has excluded from patent protection ‘a program for a computer as such’ since 1977, but the scope of that exclusion has been hotly contested for just about as long.
Careers in IP – Joel Weston
A Career in IP can be both fascinating and rewarding, even if it isn't a career path that you set your sights on from the start. In fact, as Albright IP Associate and Trade Mark Attorney Joel Weston shows, you can be successful even if your route into the field doesn't follow the standard path…
Help! Someone else has registered my domain name!
Registering an internet domain name is cheap and simple. But what happens if someone gets there first with your business name? It would be better to avoid the problem altogether, and we would always recommend checking domain availability and getting trade marks registered in advance of a public rebrand.
