This site does not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you.
In detail
If you wish to restrict or block cookies that are set as a result of visiting this website, or indeed any other website, you can do this with your browser settings; the Help menu within your browser should tell you how to do this. Useful information about cookies and how to control them on a wide variety of browsers can be found at www.aboutcookies.org.
To alter the choice you made about receiving cookies when you first visited this website, please click here.
Please be aware that restricting cookies may impact on the functionality of this website.
This site uses a limited number of third party suppliers to provide specific functionality and these cookies are included in the list below. Further information on the nature of the information collected and the options you have to control these are provided as links in this list.
Cookie name | Purpose |
wpthompsonsession | Used to store a unique random identifier for each visit to this website. No other information is written to this cookie on your computer/device. This cookie is required by the webserver software to remember certain settings such as whether you have logged into the site. This cookie is destroyed each time you close your browser and all information stored against this unique identifier is automatically deleted from the server 30 minutes after your last access of the website. This cookie is essential to ensure that all website functionality is available to you. For normal visitors no information will be stored in the session and will only be used for administrative access to the CMS (i.e. only used for site administration). |
wpthompsonAcceptCookies | Used by the website to store the fact you have implicitly agreed to having cookies set on your machine by proceeding past the warning notification. This cookie is set each time you view any page on a site using the Privacy module, and expires 90 days after the date you last visited the site. If this cookie is not set you will see the cookie notification on every page you visit, instead of merely the first one. |
wpthompsonsettings[lang] | Used to remember your last-viewed language. |
What's happening in IP
See all news25.06.2025
Artificial Intelligence
The European Patent Office (EPO) Boards of Appeal (BoA) have issued an important decision addressing the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and patent law. In T 1193/23, decided on April 15, 2025, the Board established crucial precedent regarding the use of AI-generated content. This decision relates specifically to ChatGPT responses used as evidence of how a person skilled in the art would interpret a technical term in a patent claim.
Full story23.06.2025
Decision Harmonises EPO Practice with
National Courts and Unified Patent Court (UPC)
Recently the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBoA) of the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued its relatively short, but for the most part decisive, G 1/24 decision providing authoritative guidance on how the claims should be interpreted to assess patentability under Articles 52 to 57 EPC. This decision reconciles divergent case law of the Boards of Appeal, and we are pleased to observe that the EBoA has committed to harmonising the EPO’s approach to that taken by the downstream national and multinational courts.
The order in the decision sets out the following. The claims are the starting point and the basis for assessing the patentability of an invention under Articles 52 to 57 EPC. The description and drawings shall always be consulted to interpret the claims when assessing the patentability of an invention under Articles 52 to 57 EPC, and not only if the person skilled in the art finds a claim to be unclear or ambiguous when read in isolation.
Full story14.05.2025
WP Thompson was among the winners in SME News Magazine's 2025 UK Legal Awards.
Full story13.02.2025
Can a third party or intervener continue an appeal if the original appellant withdraws? This question was raised in case T 1286/23. Though the final decision of this case is still pending, this article aims to provide a view on the judgement’s implications.
The patent under appeal for T 1286/23 relates to a handheld skin cleanser, European patent 2941163, originally granted to Foreo AB. However, this patent was later opposed by a third party, Beurer GmbH, who challenged the patent’s validity. Beurer asserted that the patent was invalid on the grounds that it did not meet the requirements of patentability such as added matter, novelty and inventive step.
Full storySeen enough?
Enquire online
Thank you.
We will respond to you as quickly as we can.
Contact one of our offices
Speak to someone specific
Join our mailing list
Thank you.