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Patent Oppositions & Revocations

AA Thornton recognised for Client Satisfaction in Legal 500

Legal 500 2025 - Testimonial

We are pleased to announce that AA Thornton has achieved a Tier 2 ranking in the Patents and Trade Mark Attorneys category of the Legal 500 UK 2025. Additionally, the firm has been recognised as Tier 5 in both the Patents (contentious and non-contentious) and Trade Marks, copyright and design categories. We are particularly proud… Read more »

Language Choices to Save Costs in Patent Filings

WIPO Flag - Patent costs

International patent applications filed using the Patent Cooperation Treaty (‘PCT’) framework allow applicants to select the contracting states of interest for national and/or regional phase applications. The deadline to file an application in any specific country or region is usually 30 or 31 months from the application’s priority date. The deadline for specific countries and… Read more »

Third Party Observations: Understanding the Impact

Third Party Observations

Third party observations are a potentially very useful tool that enables substantive commentary to be filed in relation to pending patent applications. In this article, we will explore the benefits and potential drawbacks associated with third party observations and take a closer look at how the International and European observation procedures may be used to… Read more »

AA Thornton Recognised in Financial Times Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms 2024

Financial Times Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms 2024

We are delighted to be recognised once again in the Financial Times’ annual listing of Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms. This is the sixth edition of the FT’s special report, which is compiled following recommendations from industry peers and clients, and highlights just 208 firms across the whole of Europe. More than 10,000 patent attorneys… Read more »

DABUS Case: UK Supreme Court Affirms Human Inventor Requirement

Supreme Court - AI System 'DABUS'

Capturing the attention of both legal experts and technology enthusiasts alike, the UK Supreme Court handed down its highly anticipated decision in the case of Thaler (Appellant) v Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (Respondent) on 20 December. In a unanimous decision, the UK Supreme Court dismissed Dr Thaler’s appeal which relates to two inventions… Read more »

UPC start date confirmed as 1 June 2023

As announced in a statement by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Justice on 17 February 2023, Germany has now ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement. This confirms the start date of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and Unitary Patent system as 1 June 2023. Germany’s ratification also provides confirmation that the “sunrise period”, during which proprietors… Read more »

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