Emily Hayes - Aug 05, 2022
We perform significantly better than the EPO average at oppositions
We really are experts when it comes to opposing patents and our enviable success rate speaks for itself. Only 7.4% of all patents that we have opposed over the last 15 years have been maintained as granted. That's significantly better than the EPO’s 15-year average of 24.6%. Our figures are even...
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Most opposed patents of 2021
When we reviewed our list of the most opposed European patents of..
Mewburn Ellis is proud to work on 19 of the 50 top-selling pharmaceuticals of 2021
2021 was a year of unprecedented success for the biotech and..
Meet the team: Simon Parry, Partner, Patent Attorney, Engineering, Manchester
For someone who spent his childhood holidays by the sea in North..
Meet the team: Emma Graham, Partner, Patent Attorney, Engineering, London
“I've got brothers, so I'm used to interacting with men,” says Emma..
Meet the Team: Stephen Gill, Partner, Patent Attorney, Engineering, Cambridge
There’s nothing like a looming deadline to relocate a young family to..
EPO extends pilot for oral proceedings in opposition by videoconference to 31 December 2022
On 6 April 2022, the EPO issued a notice extending its pilot project..
2022 changes to EPO Guidelines: highlights
With the 2021 changes to the examination guidelines, the EPO changed..
A guide to EPO opposition proceedings by videoconference
EPO oppositions by videoconference only became possible relatively..
EPO extends pilot for oral proceedings in opposition by videoconference to 31 May 2022
On 23 November 2021, the EPO issued a notice extending its pilot..
Videoconference oral proceedings: Enlarged Board of Appeal issues reasons for its decision in G 1/21
The Enlarged Board has now issued its full written decision in G 1/21..
Most opposed patents of 2020
Every year at the EPO about 3000-4000 patents are opposed. This..
Board of Appeal oral proceedings may be held by videoconference (ViCo) in an emergency
On 16 July 2021, the Enlarged Board of Appeal confirmed that Board of..
EPO Opposition Trends in Engineering, Electronics and Software Special Report
In autumn 2020, we analysed more than 8000 opposition cases filed at..
Engineering oppositions: is there such thing as a “disguised method claim”?
Case - T 1798/08
This Board of Appeal decision from 2012 relates to a..
We helped determine the meaning of “technical feature”
Case - T 0258/03
Our extensive arguments in relation to whether a..
Case review: what can be considered as prior art when assessing inventive step?
Case - T 0211/06
In the decision T 0211/06 from the EPO Board of..
Engineering oppositions: what is considered to be an implicit disclosure in a patent application?
Case - T2541/11
This decision provides guidance and clarification in..
Practical considerations for evidence at the UKIPO
Since it is no longer possible to cover the UK by filing a trade mark..
Brexit has happened - what you need to know about the impact on trade marks
Kate O’Rourke sets out the principles for UK and EU trade mark..
UKIPO confirms new ‘Address for Service’ rules
CITMA is celebrating a major victory on Brexit in the wake of the..
Videoconference Oral Proceedings for EPO Oppositions – an Update
The EPO has announced changes to the Pilot Project for Video..
EPO Zooming to catch-up
UPDATE 6 APRIL 2022: On 6 April 2022, the EPO issued a notice..
Most Opposed Patents of 2019
The four thousand or so European patents that are opposed every year..
Oppositions & Appeals: we helped clear a new path to patenting dosage regimes
Case 10 – T 1020/03 (EPO Board of Appeal, 29 October 2004)
Oppositions & Appeals: novelty of a patient sub-population
Case 9 – T 734/12 (EPO Board of Appeal, 17 May 2013) ..
Oppositions & Appeals: we helped determine the meaning of “surgery”
Case 8 – T 1695/07 (EPO Board of Appeal, 28 September 2011) ..
Oppositions & Appeals: We helped shape the debate on medical use claim patentability
Case 7 – T 879/12 (EPO Board of Appeal, 27 August 2014)
..
Oppositions & Appeals: We moved the conversation on animal involvement
Case 6 – T 1262/04 (EPO Board of Appeal, 13 July 2012)
..
Oppositions & Appeals: We set the standard for the strawman
Case 5 - T 649/92 (EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal, 2 July 1996)
EPO streamlining: the opposition timeline tightens
Our analysis of patent oppositions has revealed that early action has..
Oppositions & Appeals: we opened the door for different types of data to support a medical use
Case 4 - T 801/06 (EPO Board of Appeal, 4 March 2009)
Now cited in..
Oppositions & Appeals: We made the case for a new technical effect
Case 3 - T 1642/06 (EPO Board of Appeal, 23 August 2007)
The..
Meet the team: Richard Clegg, Partner, European Patent Attorney, Patent Attorney Litigator
Richard Clegg has just come off a phone call with a company in..
New report launched: EPO Opposition Trends in the Life Sciences Sector
Our new research has revealed several recent patterns regarding the..
EPO oppositions: Nine key questions answered
Mewburn Ellis has dug deep into a decade of EPO life sciences'..
Meet the team: Chris Denison, Partner, European Patent Attorney
It doesn’t come terribly naturally, admits Chris Denison, to talk..
Oppositions a case to remember: we forced a fuller view of technical features
Case 1 – T 1859/08 ( EPO Board of Appeal, 5 June 2016)
..
Meet The Team: Simon Kiddle, Partner, European Patent Attorney
“As a child I was always interested in the way things work – mucking..
Meet The Team: Katherine Green, Partner, European Patent Attorney
“Arguing with people about molecules is my dream job,” says Katherine..
Meet The Team: Seán Walton, Partner, European Patent Attorney
“Today is the 29th anniversary of my joining Mewburn Ellis,” remarks ..
Oppositions - a case to remember. Flexibility around added matter
Case 2 – T 0099/13 (EPO Board of Appeal, 14 January 2016)
..