There are now three interesting developments, albeit in quite different areas, which have in common the effort to avoid stepping on banana skins on the path towards a more unified patent system. The first one, published last week, was a decision by the Court of Appeal (CoA) itself, which took the opportunity to clarify that…

As of December 1st, 2023, Brazil is leading G20, wherein one of the three priorities to be addressed is tackling climate change, with a focus on energy transition, in addition to promoting sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions[1]. At this same date, the BRPTO launched a new commission, namely: sustainability and biotechnology…

In a revocation action the patent may be amended by the patent proprietor. According to Rule 30 RoP this should be done with an application; for subsequent amendments the explicit approval of the court should be sought. In the present case the patent proprietor tried to introduce amendments that had also been filed in another…

Introduction It is common for parties to English patent litigation to settle their differences after the first instance judgment on the merits from the Court.  This is for several reasons including the thoroughness of the Patents Court Judges, the Court of Appeal’s approach to issues such as obviousness (where only an error of principle will…

On December 30, 2023, the Brazilian government, through Provisional Measure No. 1.205/2023, announced the national program “Mobilidade Verde e Inovação – Green Mobility and Innovation” (MOVER), with the objective of expanding the sustainability requirements for automobiles and stimulating the development of new technologies in the areas of mobility and logistics. The program, conceived by the…

With 1.5 billion chickens and 234.3 million cows, Brazil is an important market for the animal health industry. According to the National Syndicate of the Industry of Animal Health Products (SINDAN, in Portuguese), in 2022, 700 million doses of vaccine were manufactured in Brazil for herbivorous animals, and 21 billion for aviary. The Brazilian animal…

In December 2023, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) of China found that Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer Oppo was responsible for infringing six Chinese standard essential patents (SEPs): 99813601.8、00815854.1、99813602.6、99813640.9、01803954.5 and 99813641.7, all related to the adaptive multi-rate wideband standard (AMR-WB) which includes audio, cellular communication, and broadband technologies. More importantly, the court established the royalty rate…

A short but nevertheless interesting judgment was handed down last week on the different roles that technical experts on the one hand and scientific advisers on the other have to play in proceedings in the English Patents Court.   The decision of Mellor J followed a case management conference in an entitlement dispute between Dr Vanessa…

In accordance with the principles of procedural economy and cost efficiency as well as a fair balance between the legitimate interests of the parties, which must be considered in the interpretation of the Rules of Procedure pursuant to Article 41(3) UPCA, the proceedings are not required to be stayed under Rule 311.1, first sentence RoP,…

In a Judgment dated 5 December 2023 in the landmark fingolimod case, Barcelona Commercial Court no. 10 rejected an action brought on grounds of unfair competition by the holder of a patent application. In unique circumstances, the claimant sought to prevent generic competitors from launching on the market during the pre-grant provisional protection period. Is…