E-commerce

Ecommerce has experienced explosive growth this decade, with the arrival of many disruptive and innovative ideas.

It’s a common belief that patents cannot be used to protect innovations in the ecommerce field due to the perception that they’re classed as business methods. However, many patents granted relate to the technologies that bring online shopping experiences to life, improve payment processes and enhance protection against fraud. A successful IP strategy in the ecommerce sector is founded upon understanding the limits of achievable patent protection.

Meanwhile, the trailblazing FinTech industry is driving considerable developments in the app space. Integration, amalgamation of services and open data are all driving innovation, allowing challenger brands with smart IP strategies to leverage an amalgamation of patents, designs and trade marks to secure a commercial edge.

HGF has an accomplished technical team, with a strong market insight, commercial focus and extensive experience working with multinational companies, focusing on important technologies in the ecommerce field, such as blockchain, payment systems and financial vehicles. From drafting, prosecution and exploring patentability of inventions, to litigation, our Europe-wide network of attorneys provide technologically-excellent and commercially-astute advice that’s tailored to the clients’ specific requirements and locations.

Latest updates

European Innovation Remains Strong: The EPO Patent Index 2024

The Patent Index 2024, recently published by the European Patent Office (EPO), provides a rich dataset from which key patent trends can be identified. The data shows that demand for …

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A £2.1M Lesson: The Power of Confidential Information

A recent High Court ruling1 serves as a stark reminder of the importance of respecting confidential business information. Hambro Perks, was found guilty of breaching confidentiality and ordered to pay …

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Can intellectual property and foreign investment save struggling European eVTOL companies?

With the ongoing funding difficulties in the European eVTOL sector, we look at the role that intellectual property is likely to play in the prospects for the survival of Lilium …

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Can the Chancellor’s so-called “Europe’s Silicon Valley” really replicate the innovative activity of its namesake?

The Chancellor of the UK, Rachel Reeves, recently unveiled plans to deliver an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor that promises to boost the UK economy by up to £78 billion by 2035.  …

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Tea with ASTP: Patenting Clls at the EPO

HGF Partner Matt Cassie will be presenting a webinar on ‘patenting AI to the ASTP (the Association of European Science and Technology Transfer Professionals)’ on 11th February. This talk explores …

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UK IPO Update to AI Patenting Guidelines Highlights Difficulties in Protecting Core AI Inventions

The release by a Chinese company, DeepSeek, of a new open-source reasoning model, has led to falls of hundreds of billions of dollars in US technology stocks including at one …

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Court of Appeal Decision Upholds Invalidity of Patent Due to Amendment Identifying Embodiment as Outside the Scope of the Claims

In a case that highlights the challenges arising due to post-grant amendments, and in particular interpretation of the claims in view of the description, the Court of Appeal in Ensygnia …

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UPC first FRAND judgment results in injunction against OPPO

Panasonic Holdings Corporation v Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp. Ltd & anor UPC_CFI_210/2023 – Mannheim Local Division (Tochtermann, Böttcher, Brinkman & Loibner) – 22 November 2024. The UPC issued its …

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Let's talk

If you would like to discuss how HGF could help you, contact one of our e-commerce specialists.