We believe in making it easy for you to find the information that you want – and you can always contact us if you can’t find what you need at mail@mewburn.com

Accelerated Prosecution

Our pages  ‘UK Patents - The Basics’ and ‘European Patents - The Basics’ set out in detail the various procedural steps involved in obtaining UK and...

Compensation of Inventors According to the Principles of the German Compensation Guidelines

Type (lump sum or instalments) and amount of compensation are determined by an agreement between the employer and employee. The calculation of a...

Designation, Extension and Validation States for European Patent Applications

This information is available in Korean.

For European patent applications filed since 2009, all available EPC “member states” are automatically...

EPC 2000

In November 2000, a conference was held to discuss possible amendments to the European Patent Convention (EPC). This was the first major review of...

EPO Oppositions

Find out more about our opposition services and why Mewburn Ellis is Europe's number one choice. You can also find out about the Most Opposed Patents...

European Grant Procedure

Download Grant Procedure flow chart

This information is also available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean

When the European Patent Office (EPO) agrees...

European Patents - The Basics

Download flowchart - European Patents - The Basics

This is information is also available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean

What is a patent

A patent...

Extended European Search Reports

This information is available in Korean.

The search report from the European Patent Office is accompanied by an opinion on the patent application and...

Oral Proceedings

This information is available in Korean.

“Oral proceedings” refers to a hearing at which one or more parties to proceedings before the EPO present...

Patentability of Software and Business Method Inventions in Europe

This information is available in Korean.

This page describes the current approach of the European Patent Office (EPO) concerning the patentability of...

Paying Additional Search fees at the EPO - Direct European Patent Applications

If the EPO considers that the claims of a patent application relate to more than one invention (i.e. lack "unity of invention"), then the applicant...

Plant Variety Rights and Patents for Plant-Related Inventions

A plant variety right is an intellectual property right for the exclusive exploitation of a named plant variety. As with other IP rights, plant...

Prosecution of Direct European Patent Applications

Here we set out the early stage procedure for European patent applications filed directly at the EPO, including divisional applications. We also set...

Providing Search Results to the EPO

On 1 January 2011, new Rules 141 and 70b come into force at the EPO which require applicants to provide the EPO with a copy of the results of any...

Registration of UK Patents & Designs

It is possible to register UK national patents, European patents (UK) and UK registered designs in a number of other states and territories. This...

Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) & Patent Term Extensions (PTEs)

Over 60 countries worldwide offer the possibility of extensions (PTEs or SPCs) for medicinal product patents. Supplementary Protection Certificate...

The London Agreement

This information is available in Korean.

The London Agreement aims to reduce translation costs incurred after the grant of a European patent. It...

The Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court explained

This information is available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

The ‘Unitary Patent Package’ consists of:

  • the EU Unitary Patent; and
  • the Unified...

Third Party Observations explained

Third Party Observations (TPOs) provide a mechanism for third parties to file objections and evidence against a pending patent application which, if...

Waiving Rule 161 and 162 Communications at the EPO

This information is available in Korean.

The time period for responding to the Rule 161/162 communication (issued shortly after entry into the...

Why Record Changes of Ownership at the EPO?

Recording a change of ownership on the EP register is not mandatory. However, we do highly recommend recording such changes for the reasons outlined...

Our People

Our IP specialists work at all stage of the IP life cycle and provide strategic advice about patent, trade mark and registered designs, as well as any IP-related disputes and legal and commercial requirements.

OUR PEOPLE

News & Insights

Read our blogs to keep up to date with developments in the IP world and what we are up to at Mewburn Ellis.

Contact Us

We have an easily-accessible office in central London, as well as a number of regional offices throughout the UK and an office in Munich, Germany.  We’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch.