News

The latest insights, sector developments and case updates from Potter Clarkson. Explore up-to-date content from our experts and stay informed on the issues shaping the IP landscape.

G 1/23: Enlarged Board of Appeal redefines prior art in Europe

G 1/23: Enlarged Board of Appeal redefines prior art in Europe

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office has issued a landmark decision (G1/23) significantly altering the interpretation of what constitutes prior art.

Advanced Materials
Energy & Cleantech
Industrial Chemistry
Freedom to Operate
IP Strategy
Patents
The Cali Fund and DSI: What life sciences and biotech companies need to know now

The Cali Fund and DSI: What life sciences and biotech companies need to know now

At a recent webinar hosted by the BioIndustry Association (BIA), speakers from DEFRA and Covington outlined the current state of play. Here are the key takeaways for companies working with DSI, and some early steps they can take.

Biotech
Synthetic Biology
Kick-StartiP
IP Audits
IP Strategy

Temporal scope of jurisdiction clarified by UPC Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal (CoA) confirms the UPC’s jurisdiction over infringements committed before 1 June 2023 and during an opt-out period where the European patent is subsequently opted back into the jurisdiction of the UPC.

Engineering
Patents
UPC Litigation

€90 million in counterfeit food and drink seized: a wake-up call for IP and public health in the EU

A new report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), released in June 2025, has laid bare the growing scale and sophistication of food and drink counterfeiting across Europe.

FMCG
Brand Clearance
Brand Enforcement
Brand Strategy
Trade Marks

Potter Clarkson supports launch of groundbreaking Carbon-Loop Biomanufacturing Hub

Potter Clarkson is proud to support the launch of the £14 million Carbon-Loop Sustainable Biomanufacturing Hub (C-Loop), a major new UK initiative designed to transform industrial waste into valuable, sustainable products using engineered biology.

Biotech
Synthetic Biology
Patents
IP Strategy
Licensing & Commercial Agreements
G 1/24: EPO’s decision on claim interpretation

G 1/24: EPO’s decision on claim interpretation

In G 1/24, the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) has confirmed that the description and drawings must always be consulted when interpreting the claims to assess the patentability of an invention, not only where ambiguity arises. This brings EPO practice more closely in line with national courts and the Unitary Patent Court (UPC).

Life Sciences
EPO Oppositions
Patents

Royal Unibrew case highlights growing legal pressure on sustainability claims

As global regulatory scrutiny around sustainability claims intensifies, greenwashing remains a pressing legal and reputational risk for companies, not to mention a growing focus for law firms.

FMCG
Brand Strategy
IP Strategy
Licensing & Commercial Agreements

Financial Times Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms 2025

Potter Clarkson has been recognised in the Financial Times’ 2025 ranking of Europe’s Leading Patent Law Firms, based on recommendations from more than 3,300 clients and peers.

Advanced Materials
Biotech
Electronics & Computing
Engineering
Industrial Chemistry
Life Sciences
Patents

Formula 1's next engine formula: power, politics, and patents

Formula 1 is on the cusp of a significant transformation, with the sport considering drastic changes for its next set of engine regulations. Ethan Silverstone, patent attorney and former F1 engineer, considers the strategic IP decisions going on behind the scenes.

Sportstech
Energy & Cleantech
Engineering
Patents
Trade Secrets
IP Strategy
Trade Marks

IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Professionals 2025

We’re proud to share that Potter Clarkson has once again been ranked among the world’s leading patent firms in the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2025.

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Patents

Should AI developers be free to train their models on existing copyright works? The UK government is no longer so sure.

The “training” of AI models generally requires the ingestion of large quantities of data in the form of existing musical, literary, graphic or other works. If these works are protected by copyright, then their reproduction as a result of this process will, if unlicensed by the copyright owners, be an infringement of that copyright, at least in the UK.

Artificial Intelligence
Creative Industries
Software
Electronics & Computing
Copyright
Licensing & Commercial Agreements

UPC rules that Gucci does not infringe leather printing patent

In the first substantive decision of the UPC concerning luxury fashion, the Hamburg Local Division has found Gucci not liable for infringement of patent EP 3 388 490, relating to a method for embellishing natural leather with decorative images.

Fashion & Apparel
Creative Industries
FMCG
UPC Litigation
Patents
Litigation

New Swedish Patent Act

On 1 January 2025, a new and modernised Swedish Patent Act entered into force, replacing the Patent Act from 1967.

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Patents

Patenting software inventions in Europe: Understanding the need for a technical contribution (2)

Continuing our new series of articles, we discuss key takeaways from another recent decision by the Boards of Appeal at the European Patent Office, as these provide learning points for those seeking patent protection for software inventions in Europe.

Artificial Intelligence
Software
Patents
Trade Secrets

UPC confirms jurisdiction to hear cases on the infringement of non-UP national designations of a patent

The UPC Paris Local Division has ruled that it has jurisdiction to determine infringement of designations of a European patent which are not UP territories and non-EU states by defendants which are not domiciled in the EU or a UPC contracting member state.

Engineering
UPC Litigation
Patents
Litigation

Potter Clarkson wins UK Patent Prosecution Firm of the Year

We’re proud to announce that Potter Clarkson has been named Patent Prosecution Firm of the Year - UK at the 2025 Managing IP EMEA Awards.

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Patents