News, Column, Press releases
10 IP Tips for Social Media Users and Influencers
Social media. For some the parasitic mental decay of future generations, for many an integral part of everyday life—for businesses and influencers a whole new realm of possibilities. Users of platforms such as Instagram are constantly increasing. In January 2013...
OBITUARY – LEO FLEUCHAUS
Our beloved father and founder of Fleuchaus & Gallo passed away peacefully on April 28, 2021. We will miss him more than we can find words to express right now. We are feeling grief but also gratitude. Our dad’s passing was not unexpected - he was nearly 93 years...
The G1/21 – „Friends of the courts“ – Amicus Curiae
As can be quickly learned while studying the EPC for the EQE, G-Decisions have a weighty importance as case law of the EPO. The aim of these decisions and opinions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBoA) is “to ensure uniform application of the law" and to clarify or...
“CANNABIS” in the spotlight as a European trademark (TM) – brands for cannabis and derived products: Valuable TM protection possible?
The different branches of cannabis industries are still relatively new and the formerly widely illegal trade with cannabis becomes more and more legalized at least for medicinal use especially across the Western nations and Latin America. As with any new and...
IP protection for AI in life science
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN LIFE SCIENCE Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella word used to describe machines and computer programs that exhibit, to a certain extent, cognitive thinking and decision-making. Notable examples are neural networks which may be...
A short history of sailing seen through patents: From sinking ships to “flying insects”
Sailing has widely been associated with a romantic view of the sea and of seamanship and is commonly considered a very traditional industry, in which old enrooted technologies persist and in which innovation is often frowned upon. There is an apparent truth in it: The...
Universal approximation theorem for artificial neural networks
"Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they translate into their own language and forthwith it is something entirely different" [J. W. Goethe] From my professional and personal experience, I cannot agree more with Goethe and I would dare to add...
“Alaaf”: Cannabis and IP
First European patent for a new drug delivery technology (DehydraTECH™ ) of Lexaria Bioscience was granted In these harsh Corona times many big public festivals had to be cancelled worldwide for good reasons, like recently the Munich Oktoberfest during the first...
Computer implemented inventions in Europe and China
INTRODUCTION Inventions involving computers - so-called computer implemented inventions (CII) - are one of the main driving forces of the ongoing fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Europe is a traditional player in this revolution, while the importance of the...
Cannabis – plants and derived products: Is there a valuable IP protection possible?
Cannabis now being legal in several US states, Canada and some European countries for at least restricted medicinal or, in some rare cases, also for recreational use, has led to a new booming market arising from what was previously known as an illegal trade. As with...
Can you patent… a new ball game?
An IP look into Spikeball
For fans of professional sports, it is common to hear the question “are you watching the game tonight?”. The “game” generally refers to a type of ball game. Depending on your cultural background or geographic location, this can refer to quite different things....
The non-patentable “pepper” fruit
Not seen before - the EPO reverts its case law. The patentability of plants and/or parts of plants in the European patent system has long been the subject of heated debate. Nevertheless, for a long time the law appeared to develop incrementally in favour of limited...
Crispr hearing as seen by a trainee
Last week the hearing for appeal proceeding (T 844/18) relating to European Patent 2771468 B1, regarding the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, held by The Broad Institute, Inc., Harvard University and MIT, took place at the European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich....
Inventorship and ownership in the Artificial Intelligence era
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is nowadays ubiquitous in our everyday life, and increasingly plays a key role in innovation. For example, AI has been successfully used to discover new blends to form metallic glass that is lighter and stronger than steel, and new...
China, AI and IP: some facts and figures
It is generally believed that China will play and, indeed, is already playing an important role in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Unfortunately, in many discussions, this belief reduces to nothing more than an unsubstantiated hearsay. In this regard,...
Patenting blockchain
Blockchain has aggressively taken the centerstage of the fourth industrial revolution and is considered to be the driving force of the so-called web 3.0. Although blockchain’s claim to fame stems from its role as technology underlying the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, its use is not limited to the financial sector. For example,
Patenting Artificial Intelligence at the European Patent Office
Artificial intelligence (AI) appears as one of the most important driving forces of the ongoing fourth industrial revolution and believed to change all areas of society and technology. Starting 2017, the European Patent Office (EPO) has shown an increasing interest in...
Schutzbereich von Offenlegungs- und Patentschrift
Sie sind UnternehmerIn und nicht zuletzt wegen der innovativen Verfahren und/oder Erzeugnisse, die in Ihrem Betrieb zur Anwendung kommen bzw. hergestellt oder genutzt werden, auf die verantwortungsbewusste Überwachung der aktuellen Schutzrechtslage bedacht? – Vielen...
Alternative Streitbeilegungsmechanismen gemäß WIPO -Schiedsgericht, Mediation & Co
Welche Streitbeilegungsklausel haben Sie eigentlich in Ihren grenzüberschreitenden Lizenzverträgen, Abgrenzungs-, Forschungs- oder Entwicklungsvereinbarungen unterzeichnet? Unterliegen daraus potentiell erwachsende Streitigkeiten vielleicht der Ihnen völlig unbekannten Gerichtsbarkeit des Heimatlandes Ihres Vertragspartners? Oder wurde etwa eine sog. Schieds- oder Schlichtungsklausel oder gar eine Klausel für das Gutachterverfahren der WIPO vereinbart?
Der Arbeitnehmer als Erfinder zum Nutzen von Arbeitgeber und Arbeitnehmer
Haben Sie eine Erfindung gemacht, deren Gegenstand eng mit Ihrer beruflichen Tätigkeit verknüpft ist und fragen sich nun, welche Pflichten Sie diesbezüglich gegenüber Ihrem Arbeitgeber treffen? Oder hat Ihr Arbeitgeber bereits Ihre Erfindung in Benutzung genommen und Sie möchten nun wissen, ob, wie und wann Sie dafür vergütet werden?
Verfahrenspatent: Derivativer Erzeugnisschutz unkörperlicher Gegenstände
Sie sind InhaberIn eines Verfahrenspatents und fragen sich, ob Ihre aus diesem Verfahren stammenden Untersuchungsergebnisse und Daten als Erzeugnisse einzustufen und von Ihnen exklusiv beansprucht werden können? Wir haben für Sie relevante Informationen bereitgestellt.
Auswirkungen des Brexit auf Europäische Schutzrechte
Am 23. Juni dieses Jahres hat sich die Mehrheit des Vereinigten Königreichs Großbritannien und Nordirland im Rahmen eines Referendums dafür entschieden, die Europäische Union zu verlassen. Fragen auch Sie sich nun, welche Veränderungen sich für Ihre Schutzrechte ergeben und ob – und wenn ja, welche – Maßnahmen Sie bereits jetzt ergreifen sollten, um Ihre Rechte zu schützen?
Gemeinschaftserfindungen und deren Geheimhaltung
Haben Sie eine Erfindung gemacht und suchen nun Partner, die diese weiterentwickeln, vorantreiben oder umsetzen sollen, möchten aber von Ihrer Erfindung weiterhin profitieren und diese nicht unkontrolliert aus den Händen geben?
Erdinger Weissbier und Seine Verkehrsdurchsetzung
Die Farbmarke „gelb“ für „Briefdienst-, Frachtdienst- und Kurierdienstleistungen“, die Wortmarke „Milchschnitte“ für „Feine Backwaren (…) mit auf Milch basierender Füllung“, die Wortmarke „SPAR“ für „Einzelhandelsdienstleistungen im Bereich von Lebensmitteln“, die...