On 5 November 2025, the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) announced that, subject to legislative approval, fees for patents, trade marks and designs will rise from 1 April 2026. This marks the first major adjustment in years: trade mark fees have not increased since 1998, design fees since 2016 and patent fees since 2018.
Read MoreFor applicants with a patent application having, or amended to have, a streamlined claim set—one independent claim and a maximum of nine singly dependent claims—the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently launched a new mechanism for accelerating initial review of the application. This Program (the Streamlined Claim Set Pilot Program) is separate from the USPTO’s existing procedures to advance out of turn (accord special status) the examination of a utility application, which includes (1) a petition to make special, or (2) a request for prioritized examination.
Read MoreThe Federal Court of Australia has clarified when a successful patentee must make an election for pecuniary relief in Vehicle Monitoring Systems Pty Ltd (VMS) v SARB Management Group Pty Ltd (SARB) (No 13) [2025] FCA 1078.
Read MoreThe Full Federal Court recently issued a game changing decision in Aristocrat v Commissioner of Patents [2025] FCAFC 131, which has major implications for the patentability of computer-implemented inventions.
Read MoreThe Federal Circuit recently issued its first review of a derivation proceeding, a rarely used proceeding provided for by the America Invents Act (AIA).
Read MoreEffective 1 September 2025, all hearings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) will be conducted in person. Parties involved must attend these hearings physically and in person unless they can demonstrate a valid reason for not doing so. Acceptable justifications typically include situations such as significant financial difficulty for the arguing attorneys, medical issues, or similar substantial barriers to travel.
Read MoreEarlier this year, Chief Judge Boalick issued guidance on the USPTO’s recission of “Interim Procedure for Discretionary Denials in AIA Post-Grant Proceedings with Parallel District Court Litigation,” explaining how the Fintiv factors should be addressed going forward. Shortly after, Acting Director Stewart issued a memorandum titled “Interim Processes for PTAB Workload Management” that provided additional non-Fintiv discretionary factors that should be assessed to determine whether discretionary denial of an IPR petition is appropriate.
Read MoreOn 19 January 2025 the USPTO enacted a new Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) size fee. A new IDS size fee, codified under 37 C.F.R. 1.17(v), is accrued for any pending application when the number of cumulative references cited by the applicant exceeds each of 50, 100, and 200 references (hereinafter, “IDS Size Fee”).
Read MoreIn Dei Gratia Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Patents [2024] FCA 1145 (Dei Gratia), the Federal Court of Australia dismissed an appeal by Dei Gratia and confirmed the decision of the Commissioner of Patents to refuse the patent application for ‘last mile logistics’. The claimed invention purported to facilitate the delivery of goods from the last point in a distribution chain to end consumers. By selecting a preferred local outlet, customers would be able to overcome delivery issues such as the need to be at home at a specific time and the protection of perishable goods that have been left at doors in high temperatures.
Read MoreFinding against Zoetis, the Full Federal Court held that Zoetis’ three patent applications relating to pig vaccines were invalid due to the failure to disclose the best method.
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