Current news

“BEING THERE IS EVERYTHING” DOES NOT SATISFY US…

Christian Thomas, Detlef von Ahsen and the firm itself have repeatedly been awarded 1 x Silver and 2 x Bronze by WTR 1000. Click here for the ranking!

ABSTRACT OF DPMA NOTICE NO. 3/22

The deadline for entering the national phase before the GPTO has been extended from 30 months to 31 months. The new rule will enter into force on 1 May 2022 without a transitional provision.

EPO NEWS: FEE INCREASE

Two years after the last fee increase in April 2020, the European Patent Office (EPO) has announced that it will increase office fees by an average of 2.5% from April 1, 2022.

The fees with the largest increase (~3%) include filing and renewal fees, while additional page fees, international search fees, and further processing of delayed payments will remain at current levels.
Most official fees paid on or after April 1, 2022 will be calculated at the new rate. Applicants can therefore save money by paying fees early, before the fee increase deadline of April 1, 2022, even if the official fee payment due date is later in the year. Some fee payments (e.g., examination fees and annual fees) may be made several months before the official due date. Therefore, it may be worthwhile for applicants to review their patent portfolios now to determine which fee payments are due in the next few months.

In particular, early entry into the European regional phase (i.e., before April 1, 2022) offers the highest potential savings. This can save applicants up to €115 per application (approximately 3% of the official fees).
Therefore, it may be worthwhile for applicants to examine their pending PCT applications now to decide whether to enter the European regional phase early to benefit from the cost savings.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@kuhnen-wacker.com

FINALLY, THE WAY IS PAVED FOR THE UPC PREPARATIONS TO START

Effective January 18, 2022, Austria (as the thirteenth Member State) finally deposited with the Council of the EU its instrument of ratification of the Protocol on the Provisional Application (PPA) of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA).

Following the Austrian ratification, the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, in its role as Depository, today declared that the Protocol has entered into force, marking the start of the Provisional Application Period (PAP) and the birth of the Unified Patent Court as an international organization.

Taking into account that the Preparatory Committee has estimated that the preparations may take about 8 months and that the EPO will also make final preparations for the introduction of the unitary patent, odds are pretty good that the UP&UPC system will begin in the last quarter of 2022 or in early 2023.

Also refer to
Austria closes the loop – the Protocol on Provisional Application of the UPC Agreement has entered into force | Unified Patent Court (unified-patent-court.org) and Agreement - Consilium (europa.eu).

EPO'S MORE STRINGENT CORONA POLICY:

EPO adopts more stringent measures to respond to intensified corona crisis

EPO extends pilot for oral proceedings in opposition by videoconference to 31 May 2022

GETTING THE DEAL THROUGH

A new publication with questions and answers concerning designs by Christian Thomas was
published on the Lexology GTDT's platform. Have fun reading.

RECOMMENDATION BY JUVE PATENT

We are happy that JUVE Patent recommended us for patent applications in technical fields.
Here you can see the ranking including the firm analysis.

Key issues in enforcing software patents

an article by Michael Zeitler in the IAM Magazine, Global Patent Litigation 2022.

YOUR OPPORTUNITY…

You would like to get an overview of European patent practice, from the comfort of your workplace or home? You would like to avoid the most serious pitfalls in EP patent prosecution? You have fundamental questions about the EP system that you have always wanted to ask proven EP experts?

Then take the opportunity and register now for our 31st European Intellectual Property WebSeminar on October 5 and 6. We look forward to welcoming you!

INTERNATIONAL IP PRACTICE SEMINAR

This year, our Seminar in cooperation with WIPO and UIC John Marshall Law School, will take place on October 8, 2021 in the form of an online Seminar. Details can be found here.