Meet DABUS: An Artificial Intelligence Machine Hoping to Maintain Two Patent Applications in its own Name By Blog Staff Three patent offices face questions stemming from the growing implications of artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting the intellectual property legal framework. The United States Patent Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), and United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) recently received two patent application filings directed to a beverage container and a flashing device used for attracting […] Continue Reading →
The European Patent Office Board holds a rule can no longer be used to Reject Plant and Animal Breeding Inventions The European Technical board of Appeal during an oral hearing December 5th decided a rule that had been used to reject plant and animal breeding claims is in conflict with a European Patent Convention (EPC) Article, with the result of reversing the impact of the rule in preventing patenting of such claims. With this decision, it […] Continue Reading →
Autel Robotics Co. Escalates Dispute with Largest Manufacturer of Hobbyist and Commercial Drones, SZ DJI Technology Co. (of China) By Gregory Lars Gunnerson SZ DJI Technology Co. could lose access to the U.S. market in a patent-infringement lawsuit with Autel Robotics Co. where Autel asserts SZ DJI infringes U.S. Patent Nos.7,979,174 and 9,260,184, which cover rotor attachment and speed changes, and SZ DJI asserts Autel infringes at least U.S. Patent Nos.9,016,617; 9,284,049; 9,321,530; D691,514;9,284,040 and 9,592,744, which cover […] Continue Reading →
Trademarks in China Apple recently lost what may turn out to be a significant trademark infringement case in China. Apple, having a registration for the mark “IPHONE”in international class (IC) 9, opposed Xintong Tiandi Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd.’s trademark application for the mark “IPHONE”in IC 18 covering leather goods, including cell phone cases. Apple argued that the IPHONE […] Continue Reading →
Avoiding Pitfalls in European filings Subsequent to Filing a United States Patent Application When filing a European patent application subsequent to a United States patent application, via Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) or otherwise, it is essential to draft the claims (and preferably the written description) with an eye to, and a working knowledge of, the intricacies of European Patent Laws. Merely appending foreign filing documents to a copy […] Continue Reading →
Australian High Court Rules Isolated Genes Unpatentable Whether or not genes are patent-eligible subject matter has been a much-discussed issue over the last several years. The 2013 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in Ass’n for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc. established that that isolated DNA is a product of nature and therefore not patent eligible under Section 101 of Title […] Continue Reading →
Senate Bill Aimed at Combating Cyber Espionage Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) has introduced a bill called the "Deter Cyber Theft Act" to the Senate floor that would require the Director of National Intelligence to report annually to congressional committees concerning foreign countries that engage in economic and industrial cyber espionage relating to intellectual property and proprietary information owned by U.S. companies. Under […] Continue Reading →
Bring on the New Year – What is in Store for IP in 2014? Happy New Year to all of our FilewrapperÒ followers! We hope 2013 was a productive year and wish you the best in 2014. As the New Year quickly approaches we would like to share with you a few predictions for 2014 for you to look forward to and for which to prepare! · Increased opportunities […] Continue Reading →
Unitary Patent – The New European Patent Regime Starting in 2014, the European Union will provide another option for obtaining patent protection throughout the European Union and a more streamlined approach to enforcing or invalidating patents throughout the EU. In 2012 the European Parliament and European Council approved the “EU unitary patent package,” which establishes the European Unitary Patent and the Unified European […] Continue Reading →
USPTO Proposes Rule Changes for International Design Applications The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seeking comments on it proposed rules for implementing the provisions of Title I of the Patent Law Treaties Implementation Act of 2012. The law is the implementing legislation for the 1999 Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (“the Hague Agreement”). The […] Continue Reading →