We look back on the past year with pride. We are proud because EP&C has been able to help entrepreneurs protect their innovations and, of course, also proud of the knowledge about intellectual property that our patent attorneys have shared. Our blogs are a great way of doing this. Did you know that they wrote no fewer than 22 blogs this year in which they shared knowledge that is of interest to innovative entrepreneurs? These are the best read blogs of the past year ranked from 3 to 1.
3. How much does a design right cost in Europe and what do you get for it?
This is a question we are frequently asked. Reason enough for Thomas Remmerswaal to dedicate a blog to this issue. Design rights are a good alternative for entrepreneurs for whom patent protection is not possible or for whom the costs are simply too high. With a design registration you can protect the design of your innovation. The costs are considerably lower than those involved in patenting. Design registration nevertheless offers protection against infringements by others. Design registration is therefore definitely worth considering.
2. How do you make a patent application affordable for startups?
Patent applications cost money. On the one hand that is precisely what startups often do not have while on the other they often become more attractive to investors once they have protected their innovation with a patent. There are nevertheless a couple of things that startups can do to cut the cost of patent. They can do their own novelty search, for instance, or submit an international PCT application. You can read all the tips for startups in Mark Jolink's blog.
1. Unitary patent and UPC are expected around the middle of 2022
We cannot yet be absolutely sure, but a new patent system is expected to come into force around the middle of 2022: the unitary patent. In this blog Walter Hart explains the unitary patent and UPC in detail. In a nutshell, it means that obtaining and enforcing a European patent is going to become easier and cheaper. In addition, the geographical coverage is relatively large. In other words, it is a big step forward. Keep a close eye on our announcements.
We will let you know if there is any news to report. We will continue to share our knowledge with you in 2022. If there are any particular topics you would like us to cover, please let us know!
If you do not already receive our blogs by e-mail and would like to, you can subscribe at www.epc.nl. And if you have any questions you can always ask a patent attorney via the chat on our website, working day afternoons.
