All of the Partners & People of AA Thornton have joined Venner Shipley
It is said that “necessity is the mother of invention”, and as someone who’s spent over two decades working with inventors and innovation on IP Protection, I have seen it time and again. The need to reduce carbon emissions is pushing us to a world where our transportation, homes and industrial processes must run on… Read more »
As announced in a statement by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Justice on 17 February 2023, Germany has now ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement. This confirms the start date of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and Unitary Patent system as 1 June 2023. Germany’s ratification also provides confirmation that the “sunrise period”, during which proprietors… Read more »
Background The main value of many technology merger or acquisition deals may not lie in tangible property like buildings or stock inventory. Often the value lies in intellectual property (IP), and patents in particular. It is common practice for companies to monitor the R&D activities of others, particularly smaller innovators. This is done with a… Read more »
Author: Anastasia Osipovich Iceland Foods Ltd is a UK retailer of frozen foods operating its Iceland stores in the UK and across Europe, including Ireland, Germany, Malta, Spain, Portugal as well as in [ahem] Iceland. The country of Iceland is known for its dramatic landscape, northern lights and volcanoes. A legal eruption between the UK… Read more »
Authors : David Blair & Marianne Privett The summer of 2022 has seen the return of in-person conferences and expos throughout many of the UK’s industry sectors. The UK’s electric vehicle and battery technology sectors are no exception and Marianne Privett and David Blair were excited to attend ‘the Advanced Material Show and Battery Systems… Read more »
A.A. Thornton & Co conversion to AA Thornton IP LLP We are delighted to share that, on 1 April 2022, A.A. Thornton & Co (“the Partnership”) converted from a partnership, under the Partnership Act 1890, to AA Thornton IP LLP (“the LLP”). What this means for us Limited liability partnerships are a favoured structure amongst… Read more »
Ongoing UK Involvement In The UPC The UPC is not relevant in the UK anymore, right? Wrong. Following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union there has been a subsequent UK withdrawal from the UPC. On 20 July 2020 the UK deposited a notification of the withdrawal of its ratification of the UPC Agreement meaning… Read more »
Re-design the system – the UK IPO consults on the future of UK design protection First a quick quiz to see whether you should read this article. Question 1 Can you explain the differences between registered designs, UK unregistered design rights, Community unregistered design rights, supplementary unregistered design right and artistic copyright? A: Yes… Read more »
Absolutely Not Registrable As a Trade Mark Attorney, one of the questions I am asked on an almost daily basis is whether new marks are registrable. As UK IPO practice is forever evolving, it can be helpful to conduct regular reviews of the kinds of marks being refused by the UK IPO. We take a… Read more »
Prosecuting green patents around the world The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) launched the Green Channel in 2009. The Green Channel is a scheme which allows applicants to request accelerated prosecution of patent applications directed to an invention which has an environmental benefit. Since the launch of the green channel in the UK, a… Read more »