Blog
Brexit – A special package offer from Valet Patent Services for UK and EU trademarks and designs
EU (European Union) trademarks and design will soon not be applicable to the UK (United Kingdom). This is because the UK is leaving the EU on 31 December 2020, assuming there is no extension to current transition period. As from 1 January 2021, if applicants wish to protect designs and trademarks in both the […]
A smidgen of a sliver of hope for business method patents at the European Patent Office.
Hold your horses! There has been a positive Decision on business method related patent applications from the EPO’s Boards of Appeal: https://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/t141749eu1.html The Decision is an Appeal from the EPO’s examining division 1958, which is notorious for considering that, more or less, all patent applications before them can be considered akin to notorious prior art (plus […]
European patent validation – Why is quality of translation so important?
At Valet Patent Services, we believe that the quality of the patent translation filed at the national offices during European patent validation is of paramount importance. Our team is made of a blend of experienced patent paralegals and patent attorneys. As such, we recognize that low quality translations can significantly impair the rights of patent […]
Update on Corona situation – European Patent Office (EPO) and European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) – Extension of deadlines
In view of the current situation of the Corona outbreak, we are mindful of the current developments and the world-wide impact. We are closely monitoring the situation and all official announcements. Valet Patent Services keeps fully operational as our system operates online and all Valet Patent Services team members are able to work from home. […]
Amazon Brand Registry
Amazon Brand Registry provides a way to protect your intellectual property and create an accurate and trusted experience for customers on Amazon. To enroll for Amazon brand registry in Europe, you should have a registered trademark under which you are selling your products. Obtaining trademark protection in Europe is relatively straightforward and can […]
EPO fee changes from 1 April 2020
The European Patent Office (EPO) has issued its Decision to increase the official fees as of 1 April 2020. The majority of all official fees will be increased. Payments of official fees that will become due after 1 April 2020 can be made early, i.e. by the end of March, in order to still profit […]
European Patent Validation
Not to be confused with the much delayed Unitary Patent, the European Patent system provides companies with an important structure for protecting and exploiting inventions in Europe. However, certain requirements must be met if patent holders are to make best use of the system. Unlike the European Union Trade Mark (EUTM), which protects trademarks across […]
IP and Brexit
The UK’s 47-year membership of the European project (spanning the EEC and the EU) formally comes to an end as of 23.00 GMT today (31st January 2020). What does Brexit mean for Patents? The UK’s exit from the EU will have no effect on the UK’s participation in the current European patent […]
Utility Model protection in Germany
Differences between utility model and regular patents Utility models are unexamined IP rights. During the registration procedure, there is no examination as to novelty, inventive step und industrial application. For this reason, utility model protection can be obtained more easily, faster and at lower cost than regular patent protection. Another important difference between the two IP […]
EP VALIDATIONS
Going through the validation process for a European Patent in different countries simultaneously can be a complex, time consuming and expensive procedure. Valet Patent Services is your low-cost, single point-of-contact partner that handles the entire procedure with simple workflows, while you can focus on your own business. European Patent Validation – What, When and How? […]
European Patent Validation – Now in Morocco
For the first time in EPO (European Patent Organization) history, a non-European state will begin validating European patents. Morocco has entered into an agreement with the European Patent Organization that went into effect on March 1st, 2015 that will make it possible to validate European patents in Morocco that will be subject to Moroccan patent […]
Cambodia – fourth validation state for EP applications
From 1 March 2018, Cambodia will join Morocco, the Republic of Moldova, and Tunisia as an available validation state for European patent applications. Validation in Cambodia will be possible for all European applications filed after that date. What is a validation state? A validation state is a non-contracting state to the European Patent Convention (EPC) […]
London Agreement
The Agreement on the application of Article 65 EPC – the London Agreement – is an optional agreement aiming at reducing the costs relating to the translation of European patents. It is the fruit of the longstanding efforts to provide for a cost attractive post-grant translation regime, which began in the 1990s in the framework […]