News

Double Trouble at the EPO

A recent referral in T0318/14 (Nestec S.A.) to the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) seeks to clarify the extent to which the EPO can refuse to grant a patent application claiming subject-matter which is the same as subject-matter claimed in a European patent that has already been granted and which has the same effective filing date (a situation often referred to as ‘double patenting’).

Jonathan Roberts: Feeding an appetite for tech

A Formstein Defence in the UK: A Way to Fight Off Equivalents?

The decision of the Supreme Court in Actavis UK Ltd v Eli Lilly and Company [2017] UKSC 48 has resulted in a sea change for the law of patent infringement in the United Kingdom. In that decision, the Supreme Court introduced an essentially new two-step test for assessing infringement; where the first step requires a normal interpretation of the claims and the second step takes due account of equivalents. Since this decision, UK patent practitioners have been keen to obtain some valuable insight into how the UK courts are going to approach patent infringement in the future.

Welcoming new trainees to the team

We’re very pleased to welcome Doctors of Philosophy Daniel Pingstone and Thomas Kennelly to the Secerna team to support a growing worldwide client base of multi-national corporations, FTSE and NYSE listed companies, universities, spin-out companies, small businesses and innovators.

Supreme Court Decision confirms pregabalin invalidity

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

A Fresh Approach: An IP Professional's Journey

A day in the life of a patent attorney.

Update on the patentability of plants

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. Thus, the Board of Appeal found that plants exclusively obtained by essentially biological processes are in principle patentable at the EPO.

IFIB 2018 International Forum on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioeconomy, Turin

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

VentureFest North East - 14 November 2018, St James' Park, Newcastle

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