Critical raw materials are materials that are essential for the production of high-tech products, but are in limited supply and have in the past few years faced potential supply chain disruptions. These materials are called "critical" because they are used in many modern technologies, including quantum computing, semiconductor electronics, as...
News
Neural Networks and Technical Problems
According to the European Patent Office's Board of Appeal Decision T 0702/20, a neural network defines a class of mathematical functions and, as such, cannot be protected by a European Patent. However, the neural network can be considered when assessing the inventive stop used to solve a technical problem and...
Record Patent Grants in Germany
The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) reports granted 23,592 patents last year - 11.7% higher than the previous year, and the greatest number for over 30 years. The number of incoming applications at 57,214 was down by 2.3% compared to last year. Foreign (non-German) applications filed 20,020 applications,...
UPC Agreement Ratification – Breaking news
Germany today ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC). With the approval by Germany, the conditions for the entry into force of the Agreement have been created. The Unified Patent Court will start its work on June 1, 2023. The Agreement’s entry into force will mark a new...
European Fund supporting SMEs
The European Commission has implemented a fund to support European Union based small and medium-sized enterprises to obtain and exploit intellectual property rights, such as patents, trademarks and designs. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in the economy of the European Union. The growth of these companies...
European Unified Patent – which countries does it include?
The start of the new Unified Patent in Europe has now been confirmed for 1 June 2023. It will be possible after this date to request that any European patents granted after this date can be validated as a so-called Unitary Patent covering a number of European countries. The Unitary...
Freedom to operate
FTO stands for "freedom to operate." It refers to the legal ability of a company or individual to use, manufacture, or sell a particular product or process without infringing any existing patent or other intellectual property rights held by other companies or individuals. Companies may conduct FTO searches or analyses...
Pauschalvergütungsvereinbarungen bezüglich Arbeitnehmererfindungen in Deutschland
In Deutschland ist es in vielen Unternehmen üblich, Pauschalvergütungsvereinbarungen hinsichtlich Arbeitnehmererfindungen zu schließen. Dies dient zum einen der Motivation der Arbeitnehmer, da sie neben eventuell bestehenden Incentive-Programmen einen zusätzlichen Anreiz haben, sich erfinderisch zu betätigen. Für den Arbeitgeber bedeutet die Pauschalvergütung dagegen Planungssicherheit, da etwa eine komplizierte jährliche Abrechnung vermieden...
Incentive Program
An incentive program for invention disclosures in a company for employees is a program that rewards employees for disclosing their inventions to the company. The goal of such a program is to encourage employees to communicate their ideas and inventions to the company. This can help the company identify new...
Nike Names BAPE in Trademark Suit
The case "Nike, Inc. v. USAPE LLC" involves a trademark infringement dispute between Nike, Inc., and USAPE LLC, the company behind the streetwear brand BAPE (A Bathing Ape). Nike sued the streetwear brand BAPE in 2021 for allegedly infringing the Dunk, Air Force 1, and Air Jordan 1 marks. Nike...