EDITOR’S LETTER
Jingle bells, software hell
“The anxiety led the UK’s Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys to request a delay to the important sunrise period, during which patents can be opted out of the court’s jurisdiction.”
No one said that it would be easy. And so, as the year comes to a close and the final preparations for a pan-European patents court slot into place, the inevitable hurdles have appeared.
And seemingly, like most big projects, it’s the IT that’s the problem.
Our last issue of 2022 leads with yet another delay to the Unified Patent Court. This one was prompted by a growing chorus of concerns over lawyers’ and attorneys’ access to the case management system (page 5).
The anxiety led the UK’s Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys to request a postponement to the important sunrise period, during which patents can be opted out of the court’s jurisdiction.
Thankfully, the court's organisers agreed and moved the whole project by two months. But will that be enough to satisfy the system's frustrated users?
Meanwhile, litigation between Optis and Apple over standard-essential patents resulted in a rebuke for both sides and a call for enforced arbitration in similar disputes (page 7).
Justice Arnold’s comments were “on beam” with the industry and SEP standards development organisations must do more, lawyers tell WIPR.
Elsewhere we examine how a case involving L’Oréal has clarified the General Court’s position on protection for single letter marks (page 9), and dive into a major report on copyright and videogames from the World Intellectual Property Organization, written by a trio of academics (page 14).
And as this autumn saw the arrival of COP27 and a heightened focus on the climate change crisis, we find out what it takes to be a sustainable law firm from ‘green queen’ Eleanor Maciver at Mewburn Ellis (page 12).
Don’t miss all of the above, plus the usual batch of must-read articles from all corners of IP.
From all at WIPR, we wish you a happy end to the year.
Tom Phillips, group editor, WIPR
Image: shutterstock.com / naskami