Category Archives: Patents & Inventions

Essential patents: the Communication of the European Commission on SEPs

Patents protecting a specific aspect of a technical standard and being essential for the application of a technical rule issued by a Standardization body are called SEPs (Standard Essential Patent). As a consequence, in case of a real SEP, essential for the application of a standard (we will focus on this later), the one using […]

The relation between know-how and patent

know-how

The invention which has not been patented for lack of the necessary requirements (the so-called non patentable invention) or for a choice of the undertaking, can be subject to a “secrecy grading”, that is as know-how. The latter includes also the non-patented, not only the non-patentable It is up to the entrepreneur to choose whether […]

WIPO publishes global indexes of intellectual property. In 2016 China is at the top for received applications.

In December 2017 WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) published its new annual survey on global indexes of intellectual property activities referred to previous years. According to published data, an increase of patent (8,3%), trademark (16,4%), design (10,4%) applications occurred in 2016, thus showing a more increasing awareness of the importance of investments in intangible assets […]

Brief introduction to the EU directive 2016/943 on the protection of trade secrets and definition of know-how

know-how

The EU directive 2016/943 of 8 June 2016 by the European Parliament and Council has given a common framework on the protection of confidential know-how and business information (trade secrets) to the member countries. Such a regulation has become necessary to establish common rules in the field of trade secrets where member countries do not […]