Spring is here and the UK government is marking it by airing its Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, promising to breathe new life into an area apparently suffocated by EU red tape.

LSIPR new recruit Sarah Speight asks lawyers working in the space what this means for patent protection before digging deeper into the issues around plant breeders’ rights and the hot potato that is genetically modified organisms (page 6).

Elsewhere in this issue, we look at the rules around induced infringement in the US (page 7) and why, for those alleging it, timing is everything.

Moving to Europe, referrals from the European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeal are examined in detail, including whether post-published evidence can be used to support the concept of “inventive step” (page 9) and a duo that focus on entitlement to priority (page 8). The latter of which contends that the joint applicants approach may hedge the risk of parties, most often from the US, losing patent protection at the EPO for not complying with requirements regarding the transfer of the right to claim priority.

And this LSIPR brings you yet more in-depth articles full of future promise, looking at everything from start-ups to fungi.

We hope you enjoy the issue.