News & Events

Welcome to HGF Presents – New Video Series

Introducing HGF Presents a new video series delivering practical insights into European Patent Law and practice. Curated by our leading experts in chemistry, life sciences, technology & engineering, each concise …

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Providing Enabling Disclosure for AI inventions at the EPO

  Video overview: The equivalent to the enablement requirement in the US at the EPO is Sufficiency. There is an increasing trend for the sufficiency of AI related patent applications …

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Personalised Medicine Patenting of Known Drugs for Known Indications at the EPO

Video overview: The identification of specific sub-groups of patients to treat with a known drug, even if said patients may have been treated before with the drug, can yield patentable …

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Novelty Over Clinical Trials at the EPO

Video overview: Second medical use claims can be novel over clinical trials in European patents. Typically, such a claim would be fairly narrow, e.g. perhaps mapping onto specific indications and …

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Regulatory Exclusivity for
Medicinal Products in Europe

Video overview: New Medical Products 8 years of data exclusivity, followed by 2 years of market exclusivity. +1 year market exclusivity possible for a new indication showing significant clinical benefit. No exclusivity granted for new formulations or routes of …

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Added Matter – Part 2

Video overview: Pre and Post-Grant Amendments are governed by Articles 123(2) & 123(3) EPC respectively Before grant, amendments can broaden the claim scope as long as the resulting claim is …

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Added Matter – Part 1

Video overview: What is Added Matter? Added matter occurs when an amendment introduces content that goes beyond what was originally disclosed in the application as filed (Article 123(2) EPC). EPO …

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Patenting Polymorphs at the EPO

Video overview: Novelty and Inventive Step Prior art must necessarily lead to the claimed polymorph to be novelty destroying Watch out for inherent disclosures in prior art—methods may implicitly produce …

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Antibodies

Video overview: EPO Requirements for Antibody Applications The EPO Guidelines (G-II, 6) provide a standardised framework for antibody-related patent issues. Antibodies can be defined by various aspects, including but not …

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