News & Events

PRESS RELEASE – HGF strengthens European presence with three new Partners in France and Germany

HGF is pleased to announce the arrival of three new partners, further strengthening its European presence. Two partners will be joining the firm’s fast-growing French practice, and one will join …

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G1/23: The Enlarged Board of Appeal shift EPO practice towards an “on-sale” bar.

Last week, the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) issued its Decision that both a product put on the market before the date of filing of a European patent application, …

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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 …

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HGF are Bronze Sponsors of the LES Pan-European Conference 2025

We are proud to be a bronze sponsor of the LES Pan-European Conference 2025, taking place on the 29-30th September 2025 at The Hague Marriott Hotel, The Netherlands. This year’s …

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INTA’s 2025 Trademark Administrators and Practitioners (TMAP) Meeting

Adjoa Anim, Trade Mark Director at HGF, will be a featured speaker at the 2025 Trademark Administrators and Practitioners (TMAP) Meeting, taking place September 28–30, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. Adjoa …

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Upcoming Webinar: Strategies for engaging with the EPO and JPO to get the Examiner on your side

Date: 20th October 2025 Time: 4.30 PM EDT | 1.30 PM PDT HGF and SHIGA are hosting an exclusive webinar exploring effective strategies for engaging with patent examiners at the European Patent …

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Fashionably IP Podcast – Episodes 41-50 – exploring hot topics in the world of fashion and intellectual property

Episodes 41-50 of the Fashionably IP Podcast where we will be looking at important hot topics in the world of fashion and intellectual property. We will be focusing on key …

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Agritech Thymes: A review of protection for gene edited plants

As we head into a new season, it’s a good time to revisit the current status of protection for Essentially Derived Varieties (EDVs) and plants derived from New Genomic Techniques …

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Avoiding Legal Pitfalls: The Notting Hill Bag Company’s Costly Mistake

[2025] EWHC 1793 (IPEC) – Natasha Courtenay-Smith and Notting Hill Bag Company Limited v The Notting Hill Shopping Bag Company Limited, Nangialai Takanai, The Notting Hill Shopper Bag Ltd, Ehsanullah …

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Wolters Kluwer Breakfast Panel on AI & IP at AIPPI

Sofie McPherson, Patent Director at HGF, will be moderating a special breakfast panel session hosted by Wolters Kluwer at the AIPPI World Congress in Yokohama on 15 September 2025. Session …

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T1465/23 – No Narrowing by Description—EPO Board Terminates Inventive Step Analysis for Arbitrary Modifications Citing G1/24 and G1/19

“The potential patentability of a specific narrow embodiment…cannot render a claim allowable which, due to its breadth, encompasses a multitude of other, non-inventive embodiments” – r. 3.5. Background EP3113515 was …

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Wrestling with G1/24 – How should the claims be interpreted in view of the description?

In G1/24, the Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) codified how claims should be interpreted for assessing patentability: in consultation with the description. However, the decision was light on how, in …

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