Craig Evans

Tell us your patenting gripes!

July 18, 2014

We’re very excited to announce the launch of a series of ‘Industry Focus’ blog articles looking at the role of intellectual property across a range of different industries. Having spoken to a number of patent holders from various design disciplines we have already found that there is no shortage of frustrations with the rather over-complicated system of intellectual property and costs and process of renewing intellectual property. “We think it’s incredibly important to consult with various industries regarding IP,” said…

Who really looks after your patent renewals?

July 17, 2014

There has been much debate lately about the idea of outsourcing patent applications and renewals to third parties, especially given the sensitivity of much of the data that is being processed. The vast majority of patent holders will not be aware that attorneys regularly outsource their patent annuities again, to be taken care of by a third party. Firstly, this means that renewals become more expensive than they need to be because both the attorney and the patent renewal service…

UKIPO online patent renewals system falls short of expectation

July 15, 2014

It was gratifying to see the UK Intellectual Property Office, in partnership with the UK government, this week launch a new digital system for patent renewals, but unfortunately it falls short of existing solutions in the market such as RenewalsDesk. The launch is part of an effort to reform the customer experience of patent and trademark holders in the UK and part of a wider – and very welcome – scheme run by the UK government to bring its red-tape-ridden…

Patent trolls damage US startup investment

July 10, 2014

Over the last ten years the US has seen a rising number of so-called patent trolls, companies that have the sole purpose of registering patents and subsequently suing unsuspected companies who often inadvertently infringe the patent through their own innovations. A recent study by James Bessen and Michael Meurer suggested that trolls cost the US economy around $30 billion per year in legal costs. It is something that may be seriously stifling creativity and innovation as startups look to create…

EU moves closer to unitary patenting system

July 9, 2014

Plans for a single unitary patenting system covering the EU may finally be coming to fruition, despite tumultuous attempts to adopt it into European law. The advantages of a unitary patenting system will be that applicants would be able to protect their intellectual property across a number of European member states without undertaking the costly full granting procedure in each individual state, and one regular renewal fee would be payable to one single central entity, with the fee expected to…

UK and China launch super-fast patenting highway

July 8, 2014

In an ongoing effort to increase trade links between the UK and China, a pilot programme has been launched aiming to help businesses fast-track patent applications between the two regions. The idea of extending the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) scheme to China was raised following a Prime Ministerial trip to China last year. It means that when a patent is granted at either the UK patent office (UKIPO) or Chinese patent office (SIPO), applicants can get a quicker decision on…