Franke IP Information (German)- Patentschutz in Irland: Das Kurzzeitpatent, die Neuheitsnachweis-Falle und eine Hintertür für PCT-Anmeldungen
- Prioritätsanmeldung ohne Gebühren: Wo es geht und wie Sie den Prioritätsbeleg erhalten
- Wie viele sind „eine Vielzahl“? Die Auslegung von „Vielzahl“, „plurality“ und „複数“ in Europa, den USA und Japan
- Vom Schachbrett zum Post-Editing: Was die Automatisierungsgeschichte anderer Berufe über die Zukunft anwaltlicher Arbeit verrät
- Monatsende, Jahrestag oder etwas ganz anderes? Die Fälligkeit nationaler Jahresgebühren in den EPÜ-Staaten
- Das „schwarze Loch“: Warum der deutsche Prioritätsbeleg beim EPA ein Rechtsrisiko bleibt
- Registrierungsdruck und offene Datentore: Die fragwürdige Kommunikationspraxis der WIPO
- Patentschutz in den Niederlanden: Eintragungspatent, PCT-Lücke und eine bevorstehende Reform
- Lässt sich relevanter Stand der Technik hinter dem nächstliegenden Stand der Technik „verstecken“?
- Die stille Teuerung: Wie das EPA seine Gebühren in den letzten Jahren schrittweise vervielfacht hat
Author Archives: Dr. Dirk Franke
Micro-Entity Fee Reductions: Opportunities, the Comparison with the US, and the Risks of Incorrect Declarations
Fee reductions for small applicants are tempting – they noticeably lower the cost of the patent procedure. Both the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) offer such reductions. What many underestimate is that … Continue reading
Micro Entity Fee Reductions: What the GPTO Offers – and What It Does Not
We are regularly asked whether Germany offers a special fee reduction for small applicants – a “micro-entity discount” of the kind familiar from the United States or the European Patent Office. The short answer is that the German Patent and … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, German law, International Law, Patent Law
Tagged EPO, Micro entity status
Leave a comment
Filing a Patent in France: Formal Requirements, Particularities and Costs
In France, an invention can be protected either by filing a national patent or utility certificate application, or by designating France in a European or international (PCT) patent application. On the basis of a pending PCT application, patent protection in … Continue reading
Posted in International Law, Patent Law
Tagged france, French patent application, inpi
Leave a comment
Moldova Joins the EPC
On June 1, 2026, the Republic of Moldova acceded to the European Patent Convention (EPC) as its 40th contracting state. A single European patent application can now reach 40 states. What changes for applicants For European patent applications with a … Continue reading
The apud Model of Qualitative Patent Valuation – and How to Use Its Factors to Increase the Value of Your Patent Portfolio
Patents often make up a substantial part of a company’s intangible value – yet that value cannot be captured in a single figure. The apud model is a qualitative valuation approach that systematically captures the characteristics that determine a patent’s … Continue reading
Posted in German law, Patent Law, Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged apud model, Invention, valuation
Leave a comment
Abstract (Single-Colour) Trademarks and Their Case Law in Germany
A single colour can be a trademark – Telekom’s magenta, Langenscheidt’s yellow and the Sparkassen red are well-known examples. At the same time, the abstract, contourless colour mark is one of the hardest marks to obtain and to enforce. This … Continue reading
Posted in German law, Trademark Law
Leave a comment
Failed Trials, Strong Patents: The Federal Court of Justice on Fampridine-SR (BGH X ZR 165/23)
German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof), judgment of 17 March 2026 – X ZR 165/23 – on appeal from the Federal Patent Court In a decision that commentators are already calling a milestone for pharmaceutical patents, the X. Civil Senate … Continue reading
Posted in German law, Patent Law
Leave a comment
When “Suitability” Isn’t Enough: The Federal Court of Justice on Purpose-Bound Substance Protection (BGH X ZB 3/25)
German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof), order of 25 February 2026 – X ZB 3/25 – Fructose Intolerance Agent · ECLI:DE:BGH:2026:250226BXZB3.25.0 In a decision handed down on February 25, 2026, the X. Civil Senate (Patent Senate) of Germany’s Federal Court … Continue reading
Posted in German law, Patent Law
Tagged BGH, Federal Patent Court, Fructose Intolerance Agent
Leave a comment
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We wish all our readers a joyful holiday season and a healthy, successful year ahead in 2025.
Posted in Christmas Greetings
Leave a comment
EPO: Abolition of the 10-Day Rule for Notifications
Under the former 10-day rule, a document was deemed to have been delivered on the tenth day after the date it bore, and time limits were calculated from that fictitious delivery date. That fiction has been removed. A document is … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, Patent Law
Tagged EPC, European patent application, European patent office
Leave a comment