Opinion

The dangers of the EPO move to opposition hearings by video conference

A recent announcement by the agency will increase transparency but could have several unintended – and potentially troublesome – consequences

14 November 2020

A Biden presidency is likely to mean IP evolution, not revolution

With the former vice-president closing in on election victory, we take a look at how his administration might tackle key patent issues

07 November 2020

Despite apparent convergence, life sciences and high-tech IP management will remain worlds apart

Pharma and biotech companies can learn from how strategies are developed in other sectors, but will still have to forge their own paths to meet new challenges

31 October 2020

To educate lawyers who change the world, we cannot let this crisis go to waste

As the covid-19 pandemic continues to upend education in the US and beyond, there is an opportunity to create a new normal in how IP is taught, says Megan Carpenter, Dean of the Franklin Pierce School of Law

24 October 2020

Shenzhen will double down on patents in its second act

Xi Jinping made innovation the focus of a speech marking the Special Economic Zone's 40th anniversary. But a more inward focus could spell change for IP strategies

17 October 2020

Sometimes FRAND does mean license-to-all

Law professor Jorge Contreras contends that the policies of many standards organisations can be interpreted as imposing a broad licensing requirement on SEP owners

10 October 2020

When it comes to tackling gender equality in IP, saying the present is better than the past is not enough

An IPBC Connect discussion among leading women in Asia’s patent professions, focusing on equality between the sexes in the region’s major jurisdictions, showed the way forward – but left one Millennial attendee still wanting more

03 October 2020

After Unwired Planet why it’s now over to China’s courts to set global FRAND rates

The big decision of the summer was a major win for right owners but may hand Chinese courts a lead role in SEP licensing cases

26 September 2020

Google’s anticompetitive infringement of IP reduces innovation

Ahead of the company’s pivotal Supreme Court case against Oracle, a former GHW Bush Administration official outlines what he believes to be a deliberate strategy to appropriate the work of first-movers

19 September 2020

It’s the PTAB, stupid

Whether the US chooses four more years of Donald Trump or Joe Biden replaces him, big tech's assault on the PTO shows where the patent policy battle lines are being drawn

12 September 2020

Covid-19 shows promise of AI tools – innovators need IP protection, and fast

Breakthroughs by startups across the APAC region show the IP system is working as intended to incentivise innovation - even in a crowded patent landscape

05 September 2020

Despite last Wednesday's Supreme Court decision, the UK won't become the global hub for resolving FRAND disputes

The Unwired Planet/Conversant judgment was great news for SEP owners, but Brexit Britain is not economically or politically important enough to be home to the world's royalty-setting court

29 August 2020

If Nvidia purchases Arm it will create a processor patent powerhouse

The semiconductor industry is buzzing on the news of a potential tie-up and portfolio analysis shows that there is a lot to be gained from such a move

22 August 2020

SEP owners may never have had it so good

It's been a great 2020 for rights holders so far and that's why a rallying call deployed by UK Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in the 1950s could well be ringing in their ears

15 August 2020

China's universities can shape the future of video - and more besides - if they get IP right

Robust technical contributions to VVC could turn into future royalty streams as the country's academic institutions get more involved than ever before in standards-setting

08 August 2020

Ignore naysayers, the patent system is playing a vital role in the fight against covid-19

We have learned some important IP lessons in the months since the coronavirus pandemic surged across the world; one of which is just how crucial IP itself is to finding a way out of the crisis

01 August 2020

As IP moves up Canada’s national agenda, other countries should follow suit

Trio of initiatives shows the country means business and the risk of a global economic downturn means similar moves may also become an important part of recovery plans elsewhere

25 July 2020

Why Huawei can’t count on patent licensing – at least in the US

Successful dealmaking cannot be isolated from broader political currents and that means China’s 5G champion may need to embrace more out-of-the-box IP value creation strategies

18 July 2020

Reporting serious allegations made against the WIPO director general was not fake news, it was essential

The agency's outgoing head Francis Gurry has hit out at media coverage of complaints made against him by his deputy, but the real problem was a total lack of transparency in how the affair was handled

11 July 2020

Facebook campaign highlights the power of brands, but activism is not risk-free

Consumers like companies that make stands and support causes. Authenticity is all, though; bandwagon jumpers will pay the price

04 July 2020

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