WIPR Patents Live webinar: Protecting medical devices in Europe—avoiding common pitfalls

Event date: 20th July 2021

WIPR Patents Live is holding a complimentary session on July 20, at 5pm BST/12pm ET, where HGF Partner & Patent Attorney Kieran Killough will present on ‘Protecting medical devices in Europe—avoiding common pitfalls’.

Throughout the last decade, medical devices have been the subject of the most patent applications filed at the European Patent Office every year—for all but one year. This dominance reflects the year-on-year increase in investment poured into the medical device sector and, with the world currently focused on healthcare more than ever, this trend looks set to continue.

However, with approximately two-thirds of European medical device patent applications originating from outside Europe, most have not been drafted with the challenges of the European patent system and market in mind.

Together with a changing regulatory backdrop, medical device IP owners often find themselves falling foul of Europe-specific issues that may limit the scope of protection that may be achieved or, at the very least, increase costs and add delay.

In this session we will:

• Review Europe-specific issues that regularly cause trouble for medical device patent applicants in Europe
• Explore options for building resilience into patent applications that are destined for Europe, and will consider how to navigate objections when they arise
• Provide insight into potential IP issues that may arise from the new EU medical device regulations, and what steps can be taken to reduce the risks posed.