We examine the recently released examination guidelines for 2021 issued by the European Patent Office. We look at what they mean for patent applications moving forward.

In the final instalment of articles on quantum technologies, Jonathan Roberts looks at some of the key pointers that should be kept in mind for patent specifications relating to these technologies.

In the second part of a series of articles looking at quantum technology, Jonathan Roberts looks at the research taking part by the EPSRC-funded National Quantum Technologies Programme into data security in the future.

In the first in a series of articles looking at quantum technology, Jonathan Roberts explores the rise in quantum technology

Secerna LLP has been appointed by Sheffield-based global technology group Xeros Technology to support the company’s in-house intellectual property team. More on this exciting partnership here.

The executive team are essential to the smooth running of Secerna. We talked to Clare Burnard from the team to find out more about her and her role.

What does a typical day hold for one of our Part Qualified Attorneys? We talk to Thomas Kennelly and find out.

The transition period of the UK exiting the EU ends in December. With Brexit looming, one of our Partners, Jason Boakes, looks at the current situation and what it means for IP in our latest article.

Home to Newcastle United, birthplace of Robert Stephenson and of course the city where Secerna has one of its offices, Newcastle is a cultured, cosmopolitan and, most importantly, a canny place to live and work. But what makes the area so great? We look at just some of the reasons to love life in Newcastle.

The Enlarged Court of Appeal is currently considering a number of issues surrounding double patenting. Secerna Senior Associate Huw Jenkins looks at what they will be looking at.

A recent decision by the US Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) has highlighted the benefits of a strong intellectual property portfolio, particularly in relation to smaller biotech companies.

As life returns to normal, scientists and academics continue in their quest to find a solution to COVID-19. In our latest article Senior Associate Hazel Robson looks at the role that IP has to play in this race to find a vaccine.

Liza Wilson tells us why she enjoys the variety that life as a Formalities Manager at Secerna brings.

The Enlarged Board of Appeal today heard proceedings relating to computer implemented inventions. For Secerna, Jason Boakes and Sam Henshall-West attended the livestream of proceedings and share their initial thoughts.

Senior associate Laura Ward tells us what attracted her to a role at Secerna and why life as a patent attorney is never dull.

The Enlarged Board of Appeal have recently ruled that plants or animals obtained exclusively by “essentially biological processes” are no longer patentable at the EPO.

Safe and accurate testing on a mass scale is essential for breaking the chain of infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. This final article in our series examines diagnostic testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its characterisation.

In the third article of our COVID-19 series, we look at the protection of IP as manufacturers innovate and develop new products at speed in the fight against coronavirus.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, artificial intelligence (AI) had already begun to redraw the landscape of medical science. In the second of our articles relating to COVID-19, we look at innovation in the COVID-19 crisis focusing on this use of AI.

With the world gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are seeing innovation of unprecedented levels. In the first of our series of articles on the subject, we explore the work taking place looking for a vaccine.

The Court of Appeal confirms Genentech is to lose patent rights to its blockbuster eye drug over their agent's incorrect payment of fees

The Unified Patent Court faces another setback following the recent decision from the German Federal Constitutional Court.

We may be biased, but Yorkshire is an amazing place to live and work. Check out our latest blog and explore what working for Secerna can do for your career.

2019 saw the UK Supreme Court provide clarification on the meaning of outstanding benefit derived from patents for employee inventions.

Do you know how design rights can protect your intellectual property and the process to obtaining them? Our latest blog explains the option available to you.

Intellectual property rights are extremely valuable assets for any business. But what is the process of applying for a patent? In our latest blog we breakdown what to expect when you make an application.

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Jason Boakes is a founding partner of Secerna LLP. With offices in York and Newcastle, the firm helps UK-based and global companies defend, enforce and protect their intellectual assets.

We face a number of serious global challenges in the coming decades. How do we sustainably feed our population? How will we meet our energy needs? How do we change our reliance on scarce natural resources?

We are pleased to announce that Huw Jenkins will be attending the IFIB 2019 International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy in Naples on 3 and 4 October 2019

In terms of David and Goliath stories (or should that be Arya and Night King stories?) they don’t come much bigger than two recent patent application objections from television behemoth HBO (Home Box Office) against two UK companies it believed to be unfairly benefiting from its Game of Thrones brand.

In our latest blog Technical Assistant Daniel Pingstone takes a look at drawing inspiration from the entertainment world and what it can mean for your patents.

The Guidelines for Examination at the European Patent Office have recently been revised in relation to mathematical methods (EPO GL 2018, G-II, sections 3.3 to 3.3.2).

We are pleased to announce that Charlotte Watkins and Huw Jenkins will be attending the BioFocus Conference in Newcastle on Wednesday 10 July.

We are pleased to announce that Huw Jenkins will be attending the Early Adoption of Agri-Tech Innovation workshop in Sheffield on Tuesday 25 June 2019.

We are pleased to announce that Jason Boakes will be attending the AIPPI Congress held in London.

Charlotte Watkins is one of the founders of York-based intellectual property law firm, Secerna. She lives on the outskirts of York with her partner and co-founder, Jason, and their dog, Holly.

Digitalisation of the Energy Sector - Wednesday 5 June 2019, Teesside University, Darlington

The patentability of plants has been a long running legal and political saga at the EPO.  Following an intervention this month by the president of the EPO, it appears uncertainty in this area is set to continue for the foreseeable future.

Patent attorney Huw Jenkins tells us why he made the move from a career in academia to patent law and what makes the role so worthwhile.

We are pleased to announce that Sam Bloor will be speaking at the Future of Energy Systems Masterclass which is being held at the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult in Blyth.

The Enlarged Board of Appeal has been asked to consider when a European patent application claiming priority from a patent application that has been granted can be refused because it claims the same subject-matter as the granted patent.

Find out from trainee patent attorney Jonathan Roberts what a typical day looks like and what advice he’d give someone thinking about a career in IP law.

Technetix B.V. & Ors v Teleste Limited [2019] EWHC 126 (IPEC)

We have welcomed two new trainee patent attorneys to our team in York, bolstering the firm’s bioscience, physics and electronics expertise.

An EPO Board of Appeal has found that Article 53(b) EPC prevails over Rule 28(2) EPC as introduced by the Administrative Council of the EPO last year.

The Supreme Court has recently published its decision in the case of Warner-Lambert Company LLC v Generics (UK) Ltd t/a Mylan and another.

These new guidelines are in force from 1 November 2018.

We are pleased to announce that Secerna LLP will be exhibiting at VentureFest North East at St James' Park, Newcastle

We are pleased to announce that Sam Bloor will be attending the EMCON (formerly Durham Oktoberfest) event on 18 October 2018.

The English High Court yesterday published its decision relating to the validity of a Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) (SPC/GB05/041).

We are pleased to announce that Huw Jenkins will be attending the IFIB 2018 International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy in Turin.

Agricultural technology is changing, and faster than many people realise. An underlying goal is to increase yields or other advantageous traits of crops whilst reducing inputs and environmental impacts.

We are pleased to announce that Huw Jenkins from Secerna will be attending the BioFocus Conference in Newcastle on Tuesday 3rd July.

Secerna LLP provides legal insights on patents in the Renewable Energy Sector.

Secerna is delighted to announce the arrival of Huw Jenkins to our team.

With over 1,200 km of coastline and a population of over 23 million people, Taiwan has both the natural resource and demand for Offshore Wind energy.

The UK Court of Appeal has recently referred a question relating to Article 3(a) of the SPC Regulation (469/2009) to the European Court of Justice (the CJEU) in the case of Sandoz Limited v Searle.

The UK intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) will be introducing a number of additional fees and also increasing existing fees as of 6th April 2018.

We are pleased to announce that Alexander Simpson from Secerna will be attending The Commercial UAV Show on 15 November 2017

We are pleased to announce that Charlotte Watkins from Secerna will be attending the Cell & Gene Meeting in San Diego.

UKIPO announcement from 1 October 2017 - UK registered design owners will have a new option for marking products

UK companies making profits from patented inventions and other IP rights may be eligible for a lower rate of corporation tax.

In Curt G. Joa, Inc v Fameccanica Data Judge Hacon has clarified how reference numerals can affect how a patent claim is to be interpreted.

These new guidelines were brought into effect as of 1 April 2017.

Last week, Secerna LLP attended the All-Energy® 2017 conference in Glasgow.

New Unified Patent Court expected to launch in December 2017.

In its Judgment on the dispute between Sony Communications and SSH Communications the UK High Court has deemed invalid patent EP(UK) 2254311 which relates to the use of keepalive packets.

Court of Appeal confirms $5b Pfizer drug patent invalid.

Forthcoming amendments of the UK Patents Rules 2007 will have an impact on patent practice in front of the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO).

On 29 June 2016, the US Patent Office announced a Pilot Program for Cancer Immunotherapy aimed at accelerating prosecution and grant of cancer immunotherapy patent applications.

IP related consequences of the Referendum.

The European Patent Office (EPO) has recently announced some changes to the current procedure for opposing a European patent. These changes which will take effect from 1 July 2016.

We are pleased to announce that attorneys from Secerna will be attending the BIO International Convention in San Francisco in June 2016.

In a recent patent case, Unwired Planet International Limited v Huawei Technologies Co Limited and others, the defendants tried to argue that a term used in the claims lacked clarity to the extent it was “truly ambiguous” and that as a result the patent in question was insufficient.

A recent decision published as T0205/14 by the Technical Board of Appeal at the European Patent Office outlines the possibility that an express assignment of the right to priority is not necessary for a Patentee to enjoy a right to priority.

In 2009, the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) began a scheme to allow accelerated prosecution for inventions that relate to green technologies.

A recent decision issued by the High Court has found that a patent to the second medical use of atomoxetine for the treatment of ADHD is valid.

As of 1 November 2015, European Patents can be validated in the Republic of Moldova.

In a recent decision J0022/13 the EPO has helped clarify when a divisional patent application can be validly filed.

In a recent decision issued by a Technical Board of Appeal at the European Patent Office (EPO), the strict approach the EPO applies to analysis of added matter was re-confirmed.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) recently considered whether a carrier protein covalently conjugated to the active ingredients of a vaccine could itself be protected by a Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC).

A recent UK Patents Court decision has focused on the extent to which generics manufacturers can avoid injunctions by taking positive steps in support of a “skinny label”, as well as providing some useful guidance on the interpretation of “Swiss type” medical use claims.

Stem cell research companies and organisations will welcome a recent decision from the European Court of Justice (CJEU) which has extended the scope of patentability in the field of stem cell research.

US Court warns that functional biotech claims are “vulnerable to invalidity”

It is often argued that salt and polymorph screening during pharmaceutical drug development is now so routine that any resultant salts and polymorphs must be obvious from a patent perspective.

A procedural Rule of the European Patent Office (EPO) that often puts patent applicants, particularly from outside Europe, at a costly disadvantage is due to be amended in November 2014. From 1 November 2014, applicants will be able to request additional searches to be carried out following a finding of non-unity by the EPO’s Search Division.

Secerna is delighted to announce the arrival of Hazel Robson to our team. Hazel joins our chemistry and pharmaceutical team and will also support our life sciences team.

EPO amends deadline for filing divisional patent applications.

Secerna opens first new office.

LED Luminaire Designers Must Pay Patent Litigation Damages.

Patent Term Extension in the US clarified.