Articles

The UK Supreme Court has handed down its long-awaited judgment in Emotional Perception AI Limited (EPAI) vs Comptroller General of Patents, a decision which serves to significantly change the way in which the patentability of AI (and computer-implemented inventions more widely) is assessed in the UK. The Supreme Court’s judgment finds that the existing approach of the UK courts (the so-called Aerotel approach) should be abandoned and replaced with the approach adopted by the European Patent Off...

Deuteration has emerged as a valuable strategy for tailoring the properties of pharmaceutical compounds.  With its expanding role in drug development, it is important to consider how the European Patent Office (EPO) assesses the patentability of deuterated analogues of known compounds.  This article examines the EPO’s approach to the novelty and inventive step of such analogues, drawing on trends observed in both examination and opposition proceedings, and aims to provide guidance to applicants ...

We're delighted to share that HGF's European Trade Mark Team has once again been recognised in the World Trade Mark Review (WTR) 2026 Rankings, achieving Gold rankings across multiple jurisdictions. Alongside the firm rankings, we're also proud to see 23 of our trade mark and IP law specialists individually recognised in the guide, highlighting the depth of expertise across our firm. Praised for our collaborative culture and seamless way of working, the team is recognised for operating as a ...

With the rapid rise of AI and extreme hype around generative AI tools in the workplace, patent firms around the world have had to seriously consider to what extent they will embrace or resist the use of AI in their day-to-day work. The discussion points at a recent WIPR webinar ("AI and the Future of Prosecution: Empowering Attorneys, Not Replacing Them") suggest that, rather than fearing AI as a potential replacement for human patent attorneys, we should consider how embracing AI tools in the ...

(Inter IKEA Systems v Algemeen Vlaams Belang (Case C‑298/23) In November 2022, the Flemish political party Vlaams Belang presented its “IKEA-PLAN – Immigratie Kan Echt Anders” (“Immigration Really Can Be Different”). The programme was presented in the unmistakable style of an IKEA assembly manual: the blue-and-yellow colours, the chunky typeface, the simplified cartoon figures, and even the IKEA name and logo itself. It clearly was a deliberate attempt to evoke the brand’s global familiari...