Franke IP Information (German)- 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
- Lässt sich ein Forschungsstandort auf Pump retten? Schulden, Steuern und Bürokratie aus Startup-Sicht
- Verliert Deutschland den Anschluss? Was 125 Jahre Nobelpreise über den Forschungsstandort verraten
- Namensänderung bei Inhabern und Anmeldern von Schutzrechten
Category Archives: Patent Law
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
No Property, No Innovation: Why Socialist Patent Systems Forfeit Prosperity – The USSR, the GDR and Cuba
A patent grants its holder the right to exclude others from using an invention. At first glance this looks anti-social — yet it is one of the most effective engines of prosperity that modern economies possess. It turns an idea … Continue reading
Posted in International Law, Patent Law, Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged incentives, patent system, socialism
Leave a comment
Who Survives AI? Partners, Associates and Freelance Patent Attorneys in a Shifting Firm Structure
The debate about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the patent profession usually focuses on the firm as a whole: falling drafting fees, consolidation pressure, and competition that hands the efficiency gains to clients. In our post “When the Patent Office Becomes … Continue reading
Posted in Employee, Patent Law, Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged AI, freelancer, partner, patent attorney
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
Can a Departing Employee Sign Away Their Invention Compensation? What German Law Actually Says
When a key employee leaves a company, a familiar request often lands on the legal team’s desk: “Let’s have them sign something confirming they have no further claims to compensation for their inventions.” It sounds tidy. It feels safe. And … Continue reading
Posted in German law, Patent Law
Tagged Act on Employees' Inventions, ArbnErfG, compensation, Invention
Leave a comment
The Patent Grant Procedure in Belgium
Anyone seeking protection for an invention in Belgium has two routes: a European patent designating Belgium, or a national Belgian patent. The national procedure is remarkably lean by international standards – and differs from the German or European route in … Continue reading
Posted in International Law, Patent Law
Tagged Belgian Patent, OPRI, Prosecution in Belgium
Leave a comment