< Back to latest news & events

Event

Update on the CRISPR IP Saga and lessons to be learnt – Basel

June 2019

Event date: 27th June 2019

This seminar will provide an overview of the CRISPR IP saga, discussion of considerations in relation to freedom-to-operate for use of the technology and an update on the lessons to be learnt from the IP issues which have inflicted major costs on those involved.

Thursday 27th June, Der Teufelhof Basel, 6pm

CRISPR gene-editing continues to hit headlines regularly as a ground-breaking technology with many millions now flowing into companies seeking to exploit the technology in both therapeutic and agricultural fields. Unfortunately the corresponding IP landscape still has many issues to be resolved with possibility of divergence between Europe and the US.

This seminar will provide an overview of the CRISPR IP saga, discussion of considerations in relation to freedom-to-operate for use of the technology and an update on the lessons to be learnt from the IP issues which have inflicted major costs on those involved.

Speakers, Dr Claire Irvine, Mike Nelson and Dr Leena Contarino, are all highly experienced patent attorneys of the Life Sciences and Pharma teams of HGF. Claire is also a partner of the HGF specialist CRISPR team involved in advising a number of companies in the gene-editing field. Mike and Leena are partner’s based in HGF’s Basel office.

To register please email Liz Davies or call +44 (0)113 233 0189.

Latest updates

HGF Ranked #1 in the UK for Trade Mark Portfolios in the 2025 Trade Mark Filing Trends Report by Clarivate.

HGF has achieved the #1 ranking for the UK for trade mark portfolios in the newly released 2025 Trade mark Filing Trends report by Clarivate, recognising the firm as a …

Read article

The EPO Board of Appeal comments on the scope of the morality exclusion from patentability

The recent decision, T1553/22 of the Board of Appeal required the Board to consider the scope of the exclusions from patentability under Article 53(a) EPC. The invention in this case …

Read article

Celebrating exam success at HGF!

We are once again delighted to share that our colleagues have achieved success in their recent exams! Their dedication, perseverance, and commitment to professional development have paid off, and we …

Read article

Is the Supreme Court denial in Thatcher’s case a fatal blow against lookalikes?

The dispute between Thatcher’s Cider Company and Aldi Stores Limited has been long running and has sparked legal controversy along the way. On 4th June 2025 the Supreme denied Aldi …

Read article

HGF ranked among Europe’s top patent firms in IP STARS Patent Rankings 2025

HGF has once again made a bold mark in the latest Managing IP Stars 2025 firm rankings, with top-tier recognition across multiple jurisdictions for our patent expertise. This year’s results …

Read article

The Enlarged Board of Appeal has today issued its decision in seminal case G1/24

G1/24, described as one of the most important cases in decades, relates to how claims of patents are to be interpreted by the Boards of Appeal and, by extension, all …

Read article

UPC’s Hamburg Local Division provides guidance on the extent to which a patent may be used as its own “lexicon”

Agfa NV v Gucci & Anors. [UPC_CFI_278/2023] – Hamburg Local Division of the UPC (Klepsch, Schilling, Sarlin) – 30 April 2025 While we await a decision on G1/24 from the …

Read article