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...

Confidentiality

Often you may wish to tell other people about your invention, for example if you are trying to license or sell to a third party, to secure...

Deferred Patent Examination System

Several Patent Offices operate a deferred patent examination system under which patent applications remain dormant until the applicant takes steps...

Deferred Patent Examination System - Germany

The German Patent Office operates a deferred patent examination system under which patent applications remain dormant until the applicant takes steps...

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...

Duty of Disclosure

Failure to disclose relevant information to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can result in a patent becoming invalid and...

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

This information is available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

Find out more about our opposition services and why Mewburn Ellis is Europe's number...

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...

Experimental Use Exemption in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries

This information is available in Korean.

Amendments to the UK Patents Act which came into force on 1 October 2014 have extended the scope of the...

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...

Frequently asked questions

Understanding your company’s intellectual property (‘IP’) assets and, more importantly, how to protect them is an essential consideration for any...

Getting a patent – the initial steps

The legal landscape around obtaining and using patent protection is complex, so it can be difficult to know how to go about getting a patent. Whilst...

Grace Periods for Disclosure of an Invention before Applying for a Patent

In general, a patent application for an invention should be filed at the patent office before the invention has been disclosed to the public, because...

International (PCT) Patent Applications - The Basics

Download flowchart of the procedure - PCT Member States

There is no such thing as an "international patent." However, it is possible to file an...

Inventorship and Ownership

Any person who invents patentable technology is by default entitled to the rights in any patent granted in respect of that technology. When filing a...

IP Audits

It is an underappreciated fact that virtually every business generates Intellectual Property (IP). Recognising that and identifying the IP generated...

Joint Applicants or Co-owners of IP

Download Joint Applicants or Co-Owners of IP Form

Sometimes you may wish to apply for (or to own) an intellectual property right (e.g., patent,...

Licences of Right

This page explains the consequences of a UK patent before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and a German patent before the German Patent...

Marking of Patented Products in the UK

In the UK, marking a product with details of a granted patent that has been obtained for that product may deter potential infringers from copying the...

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...

Patent Prosecution Highway

To offer applicants a faster route to patent allowance, reduce patent office workloads and streamline procedure, many patent offices have looked into...

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA)

It is possible for the lifetime (“term”) of a US patent to be extended if the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) delays processing of...

Patent Watching Searches

A patent watching search is a check made at frequent intervals through relevant Official Journals or computer databases for newly published granted...

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...

PCT Applications - Chapter II Demand

This page deals with a very specific topic, namely filing a Chapter II Demand. For a more general discussion of PCT applications, and the PCT...

PCT Member States

An “international” or “PCT” patent application covers all countries/regions which are party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) (“PCT Member...

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...

Publicising Inventions

You are no doubt aware of the need to keep an invention secret before a patent application is filed, but there are also circumstances where...

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...

Restrictions on the Filing of Patent Applications Abroad by United Kingdom Residents

This page provides information on the rules governing the filing of patent applications outside the UK by United Kingdom residents, and our approach...

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 Patent Box

If you have intellectual property which generates profit for your company, you may be entitled to pay a much lower rate of corporation tax in the UK.

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...

Transfer of IP

If you have acquired or transferred intellectual property rights, e.g. patents, trade marks and/or designs, you should be aware that there are...

UK Patents - The Basics

Download process flow diagram

A patent is a legal right granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office for a new invention. It allows the owner of...

US & Canadian Patents: Small Entity Status

In the USA and Canada, reduced official fees are payable for patent applications and patents if all parties holding rights in the invention qualify...

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.