News

EPO releases findings of survey on grace period for patents On 17 June 2022, the EPO reported the results of a survey conducted last winter to understand the impact of the novelty requirements of the European Patent Convention (EPC) on its users. In particular, the survey focused on the lack of a “grace period” under… Read more »

Even if your name is as famous as Ronaldinho, the UK IPO cannot raise ex officio bad faith objections This article was written by Sarah for the IPKat legal blog. Mr Geoffrey Hobbs QC, sitting as the Appointed Person, assessed the legal competence of the UK IPO to raise bad faith as a ground of… Read more »

The Agri-Tech Centres and their contribution to the UK’s net-zero initiative The advent of COVID-19 brought about a lot of change—some welcome (showcasing your new Zoom background) and some less welcome (not knowing how to stop showcasing your new Zoom background)—but perhaps one of the more profound changes has been a newfound appreciation for the… Read more »

A.A. Thornton & Co conversion to AA Thornton IP LLP We are delighted to share that, on 1 April 2022, A.A. Thornton & Co (“the Partnership”) converted from a partnership, under the Partnership Act 1890, to AA Thornton IP LLP (“the LLP”).   What this means for us Limited liability partnerships are a favoured structure amongst… Read more »

EPO 2022 fee increases The European Patent Office (EPO) has announced a rise in many of its official fees to take effect from 1st April 2022. The announcement, published with full details of the new fees in the EPO Official Journal in January 2022, follows the Decision of the Administrative Council of 15th December 2021… Read more »

AA Thornton welcomes its first Non-Executive Director We are delighted to announce that, as part of the firm’s commitment to a significant growth strategy, the partners of AA Thornton are welcoming Jeremy Horner as the firm’s first Non-Executive Director. Jeremy is a Chartered Accountant and experienced Non-Executive Director as well as a member of the… Read more »

Mike Jennings and Michael Piper CLE paper for AIPLA’s annual meeting – see here: A practial update on patenting computer implemented inventions with a preview for 2022

The Earthshot Prize – AA Thornton proud to be involved   The Earthshot Prize is “the most ambitious and prestigious” environment award in history and “designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next ten years.”   Headed up by Prince William, the Prize is centred around five simple but ambitious… Read more »

AA Thornton share delight with Legal 500 2022 rankings The Legal 500 2022 edition has now been published and we are thrilled that our practice areas have been recognised for their ‘excellent’ service.  Recommended as a top-tier firm in the Patents practice areas, the team have been described by our clients as ‘attentive‘, ‘dedicated‘ and… Read more »

Innovate UK Smart Grants – Competition Opens! Innovate UK are “the UK’s innovation agency” and are part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) which is a national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK. Their mission is to “drive productivity and economic growth by supporting businesses to develop and realise the potential… Read more »