Introduction of Second Tier Patents Possible for New Zealand
On 5th April 2018 the Member’s Bill Patents (Advancement Patents) Amendment Bill was drawn on its first ballot...
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Synergy of Combinations can be Obvious if Discovered by Routine Steps
In the recent Hearings Office decision Syngenta Crop Protection AG v Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH the Delegate held that claims to a synergistically effective active compound combination to be obvious as the person skilled in the art would find the synergistic effect through routine trials...
Read moreJudge Holds that Assessment of Ownership can be Affected by Events Subsequent to Filing Date
In SC Johnson & Son Ltd v International Consolidated Business Pty Ltd the High Court Judge quashed an Assistant Commissioner’s decision and ordered a rehearing before the Assistant Commissioner on the issue of ownership...
Read moreDisclosure Grace Period Held to Cover Post-Filing ‘Whole of Contents’ Disclosures
In Rozenberg & Co Pty Ltd v Velin-Pharma A/S the Delegate held that a post-filing publication of the same applicant can be covered by the grace period provisions, and so could be disregarded for novelty and inventive step purposes as a ‘whole of contents’ prior art base document...
Read moreMeaning of Exceptional Circumstances Clarified
In Merial Inc v Intervet International BV the Judge upheld the Assistant Commissioner’s finding that a request for an extension of time in which to file a counterstatement satisfied the relevant exceptional circumstances provisions in the Patents Regulations 2014...
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