This chapter discusses patents, which protect inventions — often new medicinal compounds or new aspects of technology — that are novel, inventive, and capable of industrial application. There are four arguments in support of patent protection. The first is a moral justification based on the assertion that there is a natural property right in ideas. The second argument is that justice and fairness demand that there should be a reward for services useful to society. The third argument is that patents are necessary to secure economic development. Finally, the fourth justification is the ‘exchange for secrets’ theory. The Patents Act 1977 dealt with the substantive law of UK patents for the first time. The Act's provisions are influenced primarily by the terms of the Patent Co-operation Treaty 1970 and the European Patent Convention 1973. The chapter then considers the five key stages in the UK procedure to obtain a domestic patent.
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This chapter explores the infringement of patents. In the United Kingdom, s. 60 of the Patents Act is the key provision on direct patent infringement. The patentee will have to show two things: first, that one or more infringing acts have been committed within the United Kingdom, and second, that the defendant's conduct falls within the scope of protection afforded to the patent, i.e. within the literal or purposive meaning of the claims. By way of response, the defendant to a patent infringement action can raise a number of different arguments. It can deny that the claimant has established the elements of the infringement action by showing that no infringing conduct has been committed, or even if it has, that the defendant's product or process is not within the meaning of the claims. The Patents Act defines infringing conduct in s. 60. One critical aspect is that it must involve some sort of commercial activity.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter introduces the reader to patents, how they work, and the laws governing them. It begins with a history of the patent system in the UK up to 1977. This is followed by a discussion of various justifications that have been proposed in support of the patent system, such as the natural rights of inventors to their work and the public benefits that flow from the grant of patent monopolies. It also considers the current regulatory regime governing the creation and use of patents in the UK and Europe, with particular reference to the European Patent Convention and the Patents Act 1977. Finally, the chapter discusses the impact of the European Commission on patent law and some of the international treaties that have influenced British patent law, including the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The chapter also speculates on the impact of Brexit on UK patent law.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter deals with patent infringement and the scope of protection that the law provides to patent owners. It discusses three criteria that are used to determine whether a patent has been infringed: the types of activity that constitute an infringement; whether the activity in question falls within the scope of the patent monopoly; and whether the defendant is able to invoke any of the defences that are available to them. After noting the distinction between direct and indirect infringement based on patent law, the chapter turns to the scope of protection for biotechnological inventions, patents for a process, and novelty-of-use patents. It then considers the grounds on which patentees may find liability for infringement. Relevant provisions that are found in the Patents Act 1977 and the European Patents Convention are also addressed.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter explores the issue of patent ownership and the related question of who is entitled to be granted the patent. It begins by considering aspects of British law dealing with ownership and who is properly entitled to the grant of a patent, particularly as stated in the Patents Act 1977, as well as the remedies available where the wrong person has applied for a patent or a patent has been granted to the wrong person. It then looks at the European Patent Office’s procedural role in determining disputes over entitlement before concluding with an analysis of ownership with respect to inventors, joint inventors, and employee inventions.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter looks at the many different ways in which patents may be exploited and some limits to exploitation. It first explains how patentees themselves can exploit the patent and considers two of the more common forms of voluntary uses: assignment and licence. It then describes situations in which compulsory licences are available and the compensation payable where the patent is used via a compulsory licence or by an employer or the Crown. Mortgages, testamentary dispositions, and registration of interests and transactions are also discussed, along with patent law in the UK and British and European competition law. The chapter concludes by assessing compulsory licences under section 48 of the Patents Act 1977, the licensing and cross-licensing of biotechnological inventions, and compulsory licences for public health.
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This chapter discusses the conditions for the patentability of an invention. According to s. 1(1) of the UK Patents Act 1977, a patent may be granted only for an invention in respect of which the following conditions are satisfied: (a) the invention is new; (b) it involves an inventive step; (c) it is capable of industrial application; and (d) the grant of a patent for it is not excluded by subsections (2) and (3). Section 1(2) states that discoveries, scientific theories, and mathematical methods cannot be regarded as inventions and are thus not patentable; likewise barred from this status are works properly found within copyright, schemes for performing a mental act, playing a game, or doing business and computer programs, and also the presentation of information. Section 1(3) limits the role of patents by denying their protection to offensive, immoral, or antisocial inventions.
Chapter
L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter introduces the reader to patents, how they work, and the laws governing them. It begins with a history of the patent system in the UK up to 1977. This is followed by a discussion of various justifications that have been proposed in support of the patent system, such as the natural rights of inventors to their work and the public benefits that flow from the grant of patent monopolies. It also considers the current regulatory regime governing the creation and use of patents in the UK and Europe, with particular reference to the European Patent Convention and the Patents Act 1977. Finally, the chapter discusses the impact of the European Commission on patent law and some of the international treaties that have influenced British patent law, including the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The chapter also speculates on the impact of Brexit on UK patent law.
Chapter
L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter looks at the many different ways in which patents may be exploited and some limits to exploitation. It first explains how patentees themselves can exploit the patent and considers two of the more common forms of voluntary uses: assignment and licence. It then describes situations in which compulsory licences are available and the compensation payable where the patent is used via a compulsory licence or by an employer or the Crown. Mortgages, testamentary dispositions, and registration of interests and transactions are also discussed, along with the effects of competition law on patent law. It also looks at employee compensation for their inventions. The chapter concludes by assessing compulsory licences under section 48 of the Patents Act 1977, the licensing and cross-licensing of biotechnological inventions, and compulsory licences for public health.
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This chapter addresses the question of who is entitled to the patent and who will own it. Patent law operates a ‘first to file’ system and the presumption is that the person filing the application is entitled to the patent. Section 7 of the UK Patents Act 1977 nevertheless brings the inventor into the picture as the person who is logically entitled to the patent. There is also room for contractual transactions in this area.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter deals with patentable subject matter and the ways in which it is regulated under the Patents Act 1977 and the 2000 European Patents Convention (EPC). More specifically, it discusses five criteria that an invention must satisfy to be patentable, including the requirement that it must be capable of ‘industrial application’, and that patents are not granted for immoral inventions. The chapter also considers two different approaches that are used when deciding whether an invention falls within the scope of section 1(2)/Article 52(2): the ‘technical effect’ approach in the UK and the ‘any hardware’ approach applied by the European Patent Office. Finally, it examines how the law deals with a number of specific types of invention and looks at possible reforms, particularly in relation to computer programs and computer-related inventions.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter considers novelty as a prerequisite for an invention to be patentable under both the Patents Act 1977 and the European Patents Convention. More specifically, it tackles three questions to help decide whether an invention is novel: what the invention is; what information is disclosed by the prior art; and whether the invention is novel (part of the state of the art). It also looks at the so-called ‘right to work’ argument, whereby novelty helps to ensure that patents are not used to prevent people from doing what they had already done before the patent was granted, and its modification as a result of changes in the way in which novelty is determined. The chapter concludes by discussing three specific types of inventions and the problems that have arisen when evaluating their novelty: inventions relating to medical uses, non-medical uses, and so-called selection inventions.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter deals with the conditions under which copyright law might protect designs as well as the limitations on the term of design protection. It first considers the subsistence of copyright in designs via two routes: either directly, by protecting the form and decoration of articles as artistic works (particularly sculptures, engravings, or works of artistic craftsmanship), or indirectly, by protecting the author of a preliminary document on which a design is based. It then discusses the limitation on protection afforded by design documents in section 51 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter deals with the conditions under which copyright law might protect designs as well as the limitations on the term of design protection. It first considers the subsistence of copyright in designs via two routes: either directly, by protecting the form and decoration of articles as artistic works (particularly sculptures, engravings, or works of artistic craftsmanship), or indirectly, by protecting the author of a preliminary document on which a design is based. It then discusses section 52 of the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, which limited the term of protection of copyright for mass-produced designs to twenty-five years, and its demise.
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Aesthetic designs are protected under the provisions of the Registered Designs Act 1949, while functional designs are governed by the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This chapter discusses the natural overlap between design law and copyright, and the influence of the law reform in s. 51 CDPA 1988 on the defence created in the British Leyland case. It also looks at the reform of s. 52 CDPA 1988.
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The final chapter in the book examines matters relating to the intellectual property created and/or owned by a business and their responsibilities for the data they access and/or produce. Given the value of the outputs from the intellectual creativity of persons (software programs, books, music recordings etc.), this chapter outlines the rights available to protect them and the consequences for infringement. It first identifies the law surrounding creative ideas and work (copyright) before a product’s appearance (design rights) is considered. The chapter continues by assessing the protection of a brand name and image (trademarks) and finishes the substantive issues through examination of inventive ideas and works (patents). Confusion of the public through the unlawful use of an existing business’ name or product can result in the tortious liability of ‘passing-off’. Intellectual property is produced by employees and the consequences of employment status for the rights to exploit the property must be effectively managed. The chapter concludes with an assessment of developments in data protection—the GDPR, Data Protection Act, and the tactics available to businesses to avoid transgression of the law.
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L. Bently, B. Sherman, D. Gangjee, and P. Johnson
This chapter considers novelty as a prerequisite for an invention to be patentable under both the Patents Act 1977 and the European Patents Convention. More specifically, it tackles three questions to help decide whether an invention is novel: what the invention is; what information is disclosed by the prior art; and whether the invention is novel (part of the state of the art). It also looks at the so-called ‘right to work’ argument, whereby novelty helps to ensure that patents are not used to prevent people from doing what they had already done before the patent was granted, and its modification as a result of changes in the way in which novelty is determined. The chapter concludes by discussing three specific types of inventions and the problems that have arisen when evaluating their novelty: inventions relating to medical uses and non-medical uses, and so-called selection inventions.
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Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter reviews the law on intellectual property and data protection. The law of copyright is governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) 1988 that protects original materials including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, and typographical arrangements. The Trade Marks Act 1994 protects the owner of any sign capable of being represented graphically and which is capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking from those of another. Registration of a patent prevents others from making, using, or selling the same product without permission. The protection lasts for five-year periods (to a maximum of 20 years). The changes introduced through the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Law Enforcement Directive and the Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Act 2017 are also discussed.
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This chapter considers the relationship between intellectual property rights and competition law. After a brief introduction, it deals in general terms with the application of Article 101 to licences of intellectual property rights. The chapter proceeds to discuss the provisions of Regulation 316/2014, the block exemption for technology transfer agreements. It also considers the application of Article 101 to various other agreements concerning intellectual property rights such as technology pools and settlements of litigation. This is followed by a section on the application of Article 102 to the way in which dominant undertakings exercise their intellectual property rights, including an examination of the controversial subject of refusals to license intellectual property rights which are sometimes found to be abusive. The chapter concludes with a look at the position in UK competition law.
