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Accelerated Prosecution

Our pages  ‘UK Patents - The Basics’ and ‘European Patents - The Basics’ set out in detail the various procedural steps involved in obtaining UK and...

Compensation of Inventors According to the Principles of the German Compensation Guidelines

Type (lump sum or instalments) and amount of compensation are determined by an agreement between the employer and employee. The calculation of a...

Confidentiality

Often you may wish to tell other people about your invention, for example if you are trying to license or sell to a third party, to secure...

Copyright in Trade Marks

When a trade mark contains or consists of a logo, it is likely that the logo will amount to an artistic work for the purposes of the Copyright,...

Deferred Patent Examination System

Several Patent Offices operate a deferred patent examination system under which patent applications remain dormant until the applicant takes steps...

Deferred Patent Examination System - Germany

The German Patent Office operates a deferred patent examination system under which patent applications remain dormant until the applicant takes steps...

Designation of the EU via the Madrid Protocol

The European Union is a member of the Madrid Protocol and so the European Union can be designated in an International Registration so as to seek...

Designation, Extension and Validation States for European Patent Applications

This information is available in Korean.

For European patent applications filed since 2009, all available EPC “member states” are automatically...

Domain names

The importance of trade marks is being increasingly highlighted by the rapid growth in use of the Internet. This page explains the process and some...

Duty of Disclosure

Failure to disclose relevant information to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) can result in a patent becoming invalid and...

EPC 2000

In November 2000, a conference was held to discuss possible amendments to the European Patent Convention (EPC). This was the first major review of...

EPO Oppositions

Find out more about our opposition services and why Mewburn Ellis is Europe's number one choice. You can also find out about the Most Opposed Patents...

European Grant Procedure

Download Grant Procedure flow chart

This information is also available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean

When the European Patent Office (EPO) agrees...

European Patents - The Basics

Download flowchart - European Patents - The Basics

This is information is also available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean

What is a patent

A patent...

European Union Trade Marks - The Basics

This information is available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

Under the European Union Trade Mark system, the proprietor of a European Union Trade...

EUTM Evidence of Use

The purpose of this downloadable questionnaire is to obtain some information regarding your use of your trade mark in the European Union (EU). We...

EUTM Opposition Procedure

This information is available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

This is a summary of the main aspects of opposition proceedings before the European...

EUTM Seniority

Once an European Union Trade Mark (EUTM)1 is filed it can be used to consolidate existing national registrations in EU member states. Details of the...

Experimental Use Exemption in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries

This information is available in Korean.

Amendments to the UK Patents Act which came into force on 1 October 2014 have extended the scope of the...

Extended European Search Reports

This information is available in Korean.

The search report from the European Patent Office is accompanied by an opinion on the patent application and...

Frequently asked questions

Understanding your company’s intellectual property (‘IP’) assets and, more importantly, how to protect them is an essential consideration for any...

Getting a patent – the initial steps

The legal landscape around obtaining and using patent protection is complex, so it can be difficult to know how to go about getting a patent. Whilst...

Grace Periods for Disclosure of a Design before Applying for a Registered Design Right

In general, an application for an industrial design or design patent should be filed at the relevant intellectual property office before the design...

Grace Periods for Disclosure of an Invention before Applying for a Patent

In general, a patent application for an invention should be filed at the patent office before the invention has been disclosed to the public, because...

Industrial Copyright

Some countries offer copyright protection to the design (i.e. the appearance) of industrial articles, such as household appliances, tools, electrical...

International (PCT) Patent Applications - The Basics

Download flowchart of the procedure - PCT Member States

There is no such thing as an "international patent." However, it is possible to file an...

International Design Registration - The Hague Agreement

The Hague Agreement is a system which enables design owners who belong to certain countries to apply centrally for designs for a number of states...

Introduction to Technology Licensing

The aim of this page is merely to give a basic introduction to the concept of intellectual property licensing and to outline some of the points which...

Inventorship and Ownership

Any person who invents patentable technology is by default entitled to the rights in any patent granted in respect of that technology. When filing a...

IP Audits

It is an underappreciated fact that virtually every business generates Intellectual Property (IP). Recognising that and identifying the IP generated...

IP Due Diligence

The Intellectual Property (IP) owned by a company is often one of its key assets. Conversely, if a company does not have the freedom to run its...

Joint Applicants or Co-owners of IP

Sometimes you may wish to apply for (or to own) an intellectual property right (e.g., patent, registered trade mark or registered design) together...

Legal Services & Dispute Resolution

Our care of our clients' intellectual property portfolios does not stop at obtaining trade mark and design registrations and prosecuting patent...

Licence of Right

This page explains the consequences of a UK patent before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and a German patent before the German Patent...

Madrid Protocol - Procedure after Registration

This page sets out the procedure under the Madrid Protocol after the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has sent details of your registration...

Madrid System - The Basics

The Madrid System is an international system for obtaining trade mark protection in a number of countries and/or regions using a single application....

Marking of Patented Products in the UK

In the UK, marking a product with details of a granted patent that has been obtained for that product may deter potential infringers from copying the...

Oral Proceedings

This information is available in Korean.

“Oral proceedings” refers to a hearing at which one or more parties to proceedings before the EPO present...

Patent Prosecution Highway

To offer applicants a faster route to patent allowance, reduce patent office workloads and streamline procedure, many patent offices have looked into...

Patent Term Adjustment (PTA)

It is possible for the lifetime (“term”) of a US patent to be extended if the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) delays processing of...

Patent Watching Searches

A patent watching search is a check made at frequent intervals through relevant Official Journals or computer databases for newly published granted...

Patentability of Software and Business Method Inventions in Europe

This information is available in Korean.

This page describes the current approach of the European Patent Office (EPO) concerning the patentability of...

Paying Additional Search fees at the EPO - Direct European Patent Applications

If the EPO considers that the claims of a patent application relate to more than one invention (i.e. lack "unity of invention"), then the applicant...

PCT Applications - Chapter II Demand

This page deals with a very specific topic, namely filing a Chapter II Demand. For a more general discussion of PCT applications, and the PCT...

PCT Member States

An “international” or “PCT” patent application covers all countries/regions which are party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) (“PCT Member...

Plant Variety Rights and Patents for Plant-Related Inventions

A plant variety right is an intellectual property right for the exclusive exploitation of a named plant variety. As with other IP rights, plant...

Prosecution of Direct European Patent Applications

Here we set out the early stage procedure for European patent applications filed directly at the EPO, including divisional applications. We also set...

Providing Search Results to the EPO

On 1 January 2011, new Rules 141 and 70b come into force at the EPO which require applicants to provide the EPO with a copy of the results of any...

Publicising Inventions

You are no doubt aware of the need to keep an invention secret before a patent application is filed, but there are also circumstances where...

Registered Community Designs - The Basics

This information is available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

In the context of intellectual property, the "design" of a product is generally its...

Registration of UK Patents & Designs

It is possible to register UK national patents, European patents (UK) and UK registered designs in a number of other states and territories. This...

Renewal fee payment service

Our in-house renewal/annuity fee payment service. Our renewal fee department has over 30 years’ experience in paying renewal fees at the EPO, UKIPO,...

Restrictions on the Filing of Patent Applications Abroad by United Kingdom Residents

This page provides information on the rules governing the filing of patent applications outside the UK by United Kingdom residents, and our approach...

Search Reports - EUIPO

It is becoming increasingly important that registered trade marks are used in order to maintain their validity and their ability to be enforced...

Software Copyright

Computer software, more specifically the program code, is protected by copyright as a ""literary work"". There may also be other types of copyright...

Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) & Patent Term Extensions (PTEs)

Over 60 countries worldwide offer the possibility of extensions (PTEs or SPCs) for medicinal product patents. Supplementary Protection Certificate...

Terms of business

This page sets out some of the obligations that we have to you and that you have to us. Following receipt of a copy of this sheet we will assume that...

The London Agreement

This information is available in Korean.

The London Agreement aims to reduce translation costs incurred after the grant of a European patent. It...

The Patent Box

If you have intellectual property which generates profit for your company, you may be entitled to pay a much lower rate of corporation tax in the UK.

The Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court explained

This information is available in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

The ‘Unitary Patent Package’ consists of:

  • the EU Unitary Patent; and
  • the Unified...

Third Party Observations explained

Third Party Observations (TPOs) provide a mechanism for third parties to file objections and evidence against a pending patent application which, if...

Trade Mark or Design?

The ability to obtain European Union (EU) wide protection for designs, the broad definition of a design in the EU legislation and the fact that...

Trade Mark Watching Searches

A trade mark watching search is a check made at frequent intervals through all available official journals covering trade marks, looking for the...

Trade Marks: Licensing

This page is intended as an introduction to the special considerations that apply in the licensing of brands or trade marks. Trade mark licensing can...

Transfer of IP

If you have acquired or transferred intellectual property rights, e.g. patents, trade marks and/or designs, you should be aware that there are...

UK & EU Unregistered Designs - The Basics

In the context of intellectual property, the “design” of a product is generally its shape, or ornamentation applied to it, although the exact...

UK Patents - The Basics

Download process flow diagram

A patent is a legal right granted by the UK Intellectual Property Office for a new invention. It allows the owner of...

UK Registered Designs - The Basics

In the context of intellectual property, the "design" of a product is generally its shape or ornamentation applied to it, although the exact...

UK Stamp Duty on Transfers

UK Stamp Duty on Transfers Executed on or after 16th March 1999 and before 28th March 2000

Stamp duty is no longer payable on documents executed...

UK Trade Mark Applications - Evidence of Use

The purpose of this downloadable questionnaire is to obtain some information regarding your use of your trade mark in the UK. We will then use this...

UK Trade Mark Clearance Searches

Before adopting a new trade mark or brand name, it is nearly always advisable to conduct some trade mark searching. Indeed, it is often sensible to...

UK Trade Mark Opposition Procedure

Download Potential Opposition Against UK TM Application

Outline of Normal UK Opposition Procedure*

Unless an extension is obtained, opposition must...

UK Trade Marks - The Basics

For hundreds of years, traders have put symbols or marks on their goods to indicate their origin. There have been cases in the UK involving trade...

US & Canadian Patents: Small Entity Status

In the USA and Canada, reduced official fees are payable for patent applications and patents if all parties holding rights in the invention qualify...

US Trade Marks - The Basics

Federal trade mark registrations, which cover all of the United Sates, are granted by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). This sheet...

Waiving Rule 161 and 162 Communications at the EPO

This information is available in Korean.

The time period for responding to the Rule 161/162 communication (issued shortly after entry into the...

Why Record Changes of Ownership at the EPO?

Recording a change of ownership on the EP register is not mandatory. However, we do highly recommend recording such changes for the reasons outlined...

Our People

Our IP specialists work at all stage of the IP life cycle and provide strategic advice about patent, trade mark and registered designs, as well as any IP-related disputes and legal and commercial requirements.

OUR PEOPLE

News & Insights

Read our blogs to keep up to date with developments in the IP world and what we are up to at Mewburn Ellis.

Contact Us

We have an easily-accessible office in central London, as well as a number of regional offices throughout the UK and an office in Munich, Germany.  We’d love to hear from you, so please get in touch.