European Patent Law

English: map of the European Patent Organisation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I just wanted to post up a fairly brief article where to start when trying to obtain a patent for a product or service. I also want to mention areas of European IP law that you should take into consideration when doing so.

Most, if not all Intellectual Property law firms will advise from the start in conducting patent searches in Europe. This involves looking at the online databases of the European Patent Office, which is a free service so it is well worth doing all you can here. The idea behind this is to research into other existing patents or applications that have been officially registered with the European Patent Office, one of the leading authorities in the field.

Carrying out such research can be quite enlightening in terms of judging the effectiveness and scale of patent you could potentially cover your product or service with.

It is important to know that patents can be enforced across a number of European states, so there is a very broad spectrum to take into consideration when applying for a patent, especially when you consider the sheer number of companies and business that are scattered across the continent. You can acquire a patent from national patent offices (i.e. UK Patent Office), or from a centralised patent prosecution process at the European Patent Office, as mentioned above.

If I were to go into full detail on every single area of legislation concerned with IP law then we’d all be sitting here squinting at the screen for the next few days. So if you want find out more detailed information on the topic get in contact with Withers and Rogers IP Law, either by email or phone.

You do not have to necessarily squat up on everything obviously, because there are professional law firms like Withers and Rogers that have the expertise already. However I would say, as with most things in life, it always helps to know at least a little bit about anything you’re involved in, as it may stand you in good stead throughout the process and potentially in the future as well.