Franke IP Information (German)- 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
- Wenn die Beschreibung mitliest: G 1/24, KI-gestützte Ausarbeitung und das neue Haftungsrisiko der Kanzlei
- Kein Eigentum, keine Innovation: Warum sozialistische Patentsysteme Wohlstand verschenken – UdSSR, DDR und Kuba
- Wer überlebt die KI? Partner, Associates und freie Patentanwälte im Umbruch der Kanzleistruktur
- Wenn das Patentamt teurer wird als der Anwalt: Zwei Szenarien für die Zukunt der IP-Branche im Zeitalter der Künstlichen Intelligenz
Category Archives: European Law
End of month, anniversary, or something else entirely? Due dates for national renewal fees across the EPC states
As long as the European application is pending before the EPO, a single clear rule applies. On grant, that clarity fragments into 39 national regimes — and they diverge on precisely the point most easily overlooked in docketing: the due … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, International Law, Patent Law
Tagged Annuity fees, due dates, Europe, validations
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The “Black Hole”: Why the German Priority Document Remains a Legal Risk at the EPO
Anyone filing a European patent application that claims a German priority must supply the priority document — yet receives no confirmation from the EPO that it has arrived and been accepted. Since the DPMA joined WIPO DAS there has been … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, Patent Law
Tagged EPO, European patent application, priority
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Patent Protection in the Netherlands: The Registration Patent, the PCT Gap, and a Reform on the Horizon
The Netherlands occupies a special position in European patent law that many applicants only discover once they actually have to work with it: a Dutch national patent is, to this day, granted without any substantive examination of novelty or inventive … Continue reading
Can Relevant Prior Art Be “Hidden” Behind the Closest Prior Art?
Under EPC patent law, can more relevant — in particular, technically closer — prior art be “hidden” by instead relying on a different document with a similar purpose as the closest prior art (CPA)? The question is sharpened by the … Continue reading
The Quiet Cost Creep: How the EPO Has Multiplied Its Fees, Step by Step, in Recent Years
When the European Patent Office (EPO) announces a fee increase, the headline number is usually reassuring: “an average of 4%”, “around 5%”. These percentages are technically correct — and still misleading. They describe the mean across a fee schedule with … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, Patent Law
Tagged Cost Increase, EPO, European patent application, European patent office, Official Fees
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When the Description Reads Along: G 1/24, AI-Assisted Drafting, and the Firm’s New Liability Risk
For decades, the description was the quiet part of a patent application. The music played in the claims; the description supplied background, embodiments, and fallback positions. As long as the claims were clear on their own, the exact wording of … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, Patent Law
Tagged AI, description adaptation, EPO, European Law. Tagged: G 1/24, patent law
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When the Patent Office Costs More Than the Attorney: Two Scenarios for the Future of the IP Industry in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
The Quiet Reversal of the Cost Structure For decades, an unspoken rule of thumb governed the patent world: the office is cheap, the attorney is expensive. Anyone looking to reduce the cost of a patent filing turned the attorney screw … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, International Law, Patent Law
Tagged AI, artificial intelligence, cost reduction, IP business
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Changing the Name of an IP Rights Holder or Applicant
Company names change, individuals marry, corporate structures are reorganised. Whenever the holder or applicant of an IP right is affected, the relevant register should be updated promptly. This article summarises what to bear in mind when recording a name change … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, German law, International Law, Patent Law, Trademark Law
Tagged EPO, EUIPO, GPTO, name change, transfer
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G 1/24 in Opposition Proceedings: New Lines of Attack – and How to Defend Against Them
What it is about In decision G 1/24 of 18 June 2025 (“Heated Aerosol”), the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) settled a question that had been disputed for years: patent claims must always be interpreted … Continue reading
Posted in European Law
Tagged EPC, European patent application, European patent office, G1/24, Opposition proceedings
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Unitary Patent and National Patent: Does the Prohibition of Double Protection Still Apply?
With the start of the Unitary Patent system on June 1, 2023, a practical question arises for many applicants: can I hold a national German patent for the same invention alongside a European patent with unitary effect (the “Unitary Patent”) … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, German law, Patent Law
Tagged national law, UPC; Unitary Patent; Unitary Patent Court
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