Patent protection: why the first filing needs to be right and how to achieve this.

Patent rights are crucial value drivers for individuals and technology companies, large or small. This article presents the selection of best practice pointers under the law of the European Patent Office on how to get the most out of patent applications, especially the 'first filing' that establishes a priority date for and sets the framework for future patent rights.

Strategies for stem cell patent applications in the light of recent court cases.

Stem cells offer the prospect of treatments for diseases and injuries that are currently beyond medical science. Although development of these potential medical marvels has been dogged by their controversial origin, technological developments and guidance from recent judicial decisions have answered and overcome many of these difficulties. In particular, the European Patent Office, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Japan Patent Office and State Intellectual Property Office of China have published guidelines covering patenting of stem cell technologies in the light of recent decisions.

Is there a future for 'speculative' gene patents in Europe?

In the face of increasing public opposition to patents claiming property in gene sequences, is it right to deny the validity of patent applications that seem to have firm, if somewhat hypothetical, scientific basis? In this article we review the recent state of the law in Europe as it applies to gene patents in order to determine whether there is any hope for the modern heirs of Galilean innovation.