< Back to latest news & events

Event

IAM webinar: Preparing for the IP due diligence checklist of the future for microbiome innovation

January 2021

Event date: 27th January 2021

HGF Partner Craig Thomson and Legal Director Michelle Davies will be presenting a webinar ‘Preparing for the IP due diligence checklist of the future for microbiome innovation’ on Wednesday 27th January.

Preparing for the IP due diligence checklist of the future for microbiome innovation

With a gradual increase in competitive behaviours among the players in the microbiome field, we are seeing more challenges to the validity of many patent rights; both in Europe and in the United States. While this is indicative of a healthy, growing industry, it will likely mean that investors will probe the robustness of IP rights in more detail. It is of course not just validity of IP rights that is of interest to investors. As many businesses in this field move closer to commercialising product, we begin to understand that there are many issues that such business have to get right. For example, questions relating to compliance with the Nagoya protocol, the presentation of relevant MTAs and associated agreements, and demonstration of a secure and consistent source of that product. What will the IP due diligence checklist in this field look like in the future; perhaps more burdensome than we are used to at present, are you prepared?

Join Craig Thomson and Michelle Davies to find out more on this topic on Wednesday 27th January.

Latest updates

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 …

Read article

T1977/22: Can claims defined by open-ended ranges ever be sufficiently disclosed?

The EPO’s Board of Appeal’s decision in T1977/22 provides an interesting review of the case law concerning the compatibility of whole range sufficiency and claims defined as a result to …

Read article

The draft of The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025 reveals practical details on how to obtain a Precision Bred Organism status

In a recent blog post we discussed the Precision Breeding Regulatory Framework developed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Further details on the application process for Precision Bred Organism confirmation …

Read article

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 …

Read article
Event - 6th March 2025

IQPC Global IP Exchange Europe 2025

HGF is sponsoring the IQPC Global IP Exchange Europe, which will be held on the 11th-12th March 2025 in Meliá, Berlin. Head of Electronics, Chris Benson, will be chairing the …

Event details

IP Ingredients: Pouring Over the Verdict: What Thatchers v Aldi Means for Food & Drink Brands

Readers of our IP Ingredients blog may recall that we covered something of this case last summer in our post IP Ingredients: Summer case law review. The dispute between Thatchers …

Read article

Protecting inventions in Europe and beyond

A patent is  a form of registered intellectual property right granted for new, inventive and industrially applicable inventions. Patents are monopoly rights that  allow their owners (or licensees) the right …

Read article