IP Focussed Special Reports

This report demonstrates how innovation is blossoming in all areas of the battery ecosystem driven by both pressures and incentives; and how patents are playing a big part in protecting inventions and forming one branch of a wider commercial strategy.

In autumn 2020, we analysed more than 8000 opposition cases filed at the European Patent Office (EPO) over the last 12 years, studying the timelines for hundreds of engineering, electronics and software oppositions.

In spring 2019, Mewburn Ellis undertook 350 hours of research, analysing more than 5,000 opposition cases filed at the European Patent Office over the last ten years, studying the timelines for hundreds of life sciences oppositions both before and after the EPO’s opposition streamlining initiative.

Our report examines the new technologies that have entered the Femtech market in recent years. As well as the ways in which these developments are providing genuine health benefits to women, from early diagnosis of cancer and improved surgical outcomes to more sustainable period products and options for remote delivery of healthcare.  We also look at IP trends in what is a rapidly growing and competitive industry.

Our research reveals that graphene innovation has skyrocketed over the last decade, with the construction and energy storage industries seeing the most significant growth. The data suggest three ‘waves’ of graphene innovation, starting from early development at universities through to application in industry and then to results beginning to be realised in the last two to three years. 

Our report examines the role of patents in making innovative ‘green’ technologies into a reality as well as how the patent landscape can be used to identify opportunities for partnering, collaboration and investment.

This special report is a collection of articles from our Forward magazine, bringing together some of our recent features about brilliant women from the world of IP.

In this special report, we explore the relevance of each type of non-traditional trade mark to the pharmaceutical sector, how they can be registered and enforced and the particular challenges brands will face along the way. We also explore the difficulties associated with attempts to register smell and taste marks successfully and what the future might hold for non-traditional trade marks in the pharma space.

The words "digital health", "data driven" and "AI" have been on everyone's lips and in many headlines in the healthcare and life sciences sectors over the last couple of years. We set out to collect data on the patent landscape in the fields of bioinformatics and digital health, to see whether the growth we and our clients see in the field is reflected in the data and whether insights can be gained that will assist in designing better, more informed IP strategies.

Over 60 countries provide extensions for pharma and life sciences patents – more than half of them in Europe. They’re incredibly important in helping to compensate for the years of delay in getting a product through clinical trials and regulatory reviews.

This report discusses the complexities of the current trade mark exhaustion landscape, and the outcome of the recent UK government consultation (2021) on Exhaustion and Parallel Trade in the Pharmaceutical Sector.

It is well-known that it can be challenging to obtain patent protection for inventions relating to software in Europe. Indeed, it is common for software developers to assume that European patent protection is not available for their innovations.

This new report summarises all the work we have done as a firm over the last two years around charity, inclusivity and the environment as well as some of our plans for the future. 

Find out about the latest key topics and challenges the automotive industry is facing and how innovative businesses are adapting as a result. From how cities are adapting to the electric vehicle revolution and the role of autonomous vehicles, to data security issues in the world of connected cars.

Whether you are aiming for an exit strategy through investment or acquisition, or to grow and further establish your business, IP can play a key role. Perhaps you have some experience of IP but are you unsure if you're making the most of it? Perhaps you have no experience of IP and would like to understand how you could use it to your advantage?

Find out more detail about the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court with our detailed guide. This covers a summary overview of both as well as details around costs and processes to obtain a unitary patent and a comparison of pros and cons.

The decision on where to validate a pharmaceutical European patent is a big one. With costs often precluding an “everywhere” approach for small- to medium-sized companies, research institutions and universities, it is necessary to choose from the long list of available countries.