International application for a patent meaning

In this issue: Medical devices Intellectual property Data protection and life sciences Pharmaceuticals—regulatory framework Research and development Competition in life sciences Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Trackers Useful information Medical devices Government supports new UK medical device rules following consultation The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued the government’s concluding response to its consultation on planned updates to medical device legislation, setting out future pathways to market for medical devices. The government will advance three principal changes: adopting an international reliance framework, removing the UKCA marking requirement once devices carry unique device identification (UDI), and revising the classification of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices. Collectively, these measures are intended to modernise oversight while promoting innovation and protecting patient safety. See: LNB News 23/07/2025 14. AI developers, users see EU’s guidelines on general-purpose AI models MLex: On 18 July 2025, the European Commission released guidance...

In this issue: Research and development Medical devices Disputes and regulatory enforcement Competition in life sciences Pharmaceuticals—regulatory framework Daily and weekly news alerts Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Research and development Council of EU approves EU AI Act The Council of the EU has signed off the EU AI Act. Once endorsed by the presidents of the Council and the European Parliament, the law will appear in the Official Journal of the EU and take effect 20 days later. Most rules will start to apply two years after entry into force, with certain provisions operating on a different timetable. See: LNB News 21/05/2024 9. DSIT publishes international scientific report on advanced AI safety The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has issued the interim International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI), commissioned at the Bletchey Park AI Safety Summit in November 2023. Bringing together a...

In this issue: Copyright & associated rights Trade marks/passing off Patents General IP LexTalk®IP: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Copyright & associated rights IPO confirms approach for foreign artists’ public performance rights The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has released its response to an early‑2024 consultation on how best to ensure overseas performers and producers receive the public performance rights (PPR) payments due when their sound recordings are broadcast or played in public in the UK. Historically, UK law’s treatment of this right did not fully mirror the nation’s international commitments. After the consultation and engagement with industry stakeholders, the government has chosen Option 0A. Under this approach, targeted adjustments will be made to the criteria for foreign performers’ PPR eligibility, extending PPR to foreign performers where the producer of the recording of their performance is a UK national or...

This Practice Note introduces supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) and paediatric extensions (PEs) in the UK. It outlines the reasons for their creation, when and how to apply, and how long they run. It also reviews leading rulings on SPCs from the courts of England and Wales, together with UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) guidance on SPC procedure... It further surveys numerous references to the Court of Justice on the interpretation of Regulation (EC) 469/2009 and Regulation (EC) 1610/96, which regulate SPCs for medicinal products and plant protection products within the EU (and, before Brexit, in the UK). The resulting Court of Justice decisions have defined the scope of SPC protection across the EU and the UK. For guidance on whether Court of Justice rulings bind UK courts, see Practice Note: Assimilated law—Assimilated case law. For a discussion confined to the EU SPC regime, see Practice Note: Supplementary protection certificates and paediatric extensions—EU... Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) What is an SPC? An SPC prolongs the protection provided...

This Practice Note outlines the requirements and procedural steps for European patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO), covering EPO post‑grant opposition and limitation procedures. It further explains that, once a European patent is granted, the proprietor may lodge a ‘request for unitary effect’ with the EPO to obtain a unitary patent. European patents There are two types of European patents: European bundle patents—often called ‘classic’ or ‘traditional’ European patents, or simply European patents or EPs for short, and European patents with unitary effect—commonly known as unitary patents European bundle patents The European Patent Convention (EPC) created a single route for securing patents in multiple countries from one patent application. The EPC is applied by the EPO, which serves as the executive arm of the European Patent Organisation, an international organisation with 39 member states, including all 27 EU Member States plus certain non‑EU members such as the UK, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. European bundle patents can confer protection...

ARCHIVED: This Practice Note has been archived and is not maintained Keeping abreast of case law that shapes a practitioner’s specialism, or influences civil litigation procedure generally, is a persistent challenge for those working in dispute resolution. This Practice Note distils the leading appeal authorities—decisions of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, and, where relevant, selected judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)—that we have reported, giving users straightforward access to those rulings. Use the table of contents in the left margin to browse, or locate items quickly with [CTRL]+[F]. It also sets out a selection of forthcoming appeals, where known, to aid horizon scanning. The material is not intended to be a comprehensive catalogue of every appeal and/or significant decision for dispute resolution practitioners. Key forthcoming appeal cases—2019 Terminating contracts—frustration Canary Wharf (BP4) T1 Ltd v European Medicines Agency [2019] EWHC 921 (Ch)—Court of Appeal: permission to appeal granted in the lower court...