Region: Netherlands

In 2016 UK firms tended to represent patentees and German firms tended to represent opponents in European Patent Office (EPO) oppositions. While most patents subject to EPO oppositions belonged to International Patent Classification (IPC) Class A, most of the specialised firms for oppositions in technologies of IPC Classes B to H were from either the United Kingdom or Germany.

11 April 2018

Very quietly, something of a revolution has taken place at Philips. For the first time this century, the company’s IP function – Philips IP & Standards - is headed up by someone who has no long-term IP background and who is not labelled its chief IP…

05 April 2018

As defending and opposing patents before the European Patent Office require different skills, a firm's experience in these two roles may be a factor when choosing a representative. Recent data suggests that private firms in Germany and the United Kingdom continue to dominate the oppositions arena.

04 April 2018

Most European Patent Office oppositions involving non-European Patent Convention parties remain divided between German and UK representatives. However, in countries traditionally tied to the United Kingdom, there is a shift towards choosing German over UK representation.

28 March 2018

While the absolute number of European Patent Office oppositions continues to grow, opposition appears to be used by the same types of party, at least in terms of nationality.

14 March 2018

While parts of Asia have discovered Europe for retrieving intellectual property, it seems too fre countries make use of the option of retrieving freedom to operate on the EP markets through centralised opposition.

14 March 2018

The Netherlands’ new Health Minister has hit out at “absurd” drug prices, suggesting that the use of compulsory patent licensing might be one solution. This comes shortly after Germany’s highest court upheld a landmark decision forcing a life…

15 December 2017

The District Court of The Hague recently held that there was no likelihood of confusion between SINA rice and SITA rice. This decision was somewhat remarkable considering earlier decisions on similar comparisons between four-letter signs relating to foodstuffs.

08 November 2017

Featured in IAM Yearbook 2018

Trademark practice in the European Union is undergoing an important overhaul. Under the trademark reform package, both the EU Trademark Directive (2015/2436/EU) and the EU Trademark Regulation (207/2009) have changed on several essential subjects…

12 October 2017

Featured in Patents in Europe 2018/19: Helping business compete in the global economy

Senior European patent attorneys will, with a certain nostalgia, remember the ‘good old days’ in which they could easily call an examiner of the European Patent Office (EPO) and informally discuss a pending application. Attorneys could also simply…

02 October 2017