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We wish you a happy 2019 !  As in previous years, we are here to provide you with qualitative translations of your patent documents.  These translations will still be necessary in 2019 as the UPC is not coming yet, and we are afraid it might take some more years, or the project may not make it all together.  

The introduction of the European patent with unitary effect (also known as the unitary patent or UPC) enables patent holders to protect their inventions in 25 member states by filing a single patent application at the European Patent Office and selecting the UPC regional protection.  The procedure up to granting of the unitary patent remains the same as for regular European patents without unitary effect. After the patent is granted, there will be no need to validate it in each country that is now requiring a separate validation step (Note : The London Protocol has already made validation much easier,…

On 8 February 2018, the UK Privy Council approved The Unified Patent Court (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2018 (reported here) and the final published Order (SI 2018/184) can now be found here with an Explanatory Memorandum. The Order will only come into force after the UPC’s Protocol on Privileges and Immunities comes into force, which is likely to be around the time the provisional application phase starts. The UK is now in a position to ratify the UPC Agreement, having completed all the legislative steps. Source : www.bristowsupc.com/latest-news/privy-council-approves-privileges-and-immunities-order

Face it : nobody wants to pay more for a translation than is strictly necessary.  And translations in the framework of a patent procedure (EPC, PCT or national) are often seen as a cost to be minimized.  This assumption is correct .. with a few nuances.  A translated patent claim for an EP-grant should not state something else than the original : it might generate confusion about the scope of the claim, and in some countries (such as Austria) the scope is determined by the scope of the translation if this scope is smaller than the original scope !  Therefor,…

In mid-June, the German Federal Constitutional Court asked the German President not to sign legislation designed to implement the EU Unified Patent Court (UPC, EU Agreement 16351/12) and Unitary Patent (EU Regulation 1257/12). Now, there are hints for a further delay. The constitutional complaint behind the delay, rumoured to be brought up by a German life sciences IP expert, has led to a stop of hiring German judges for the UPC, a clear signal that Germany is going to halt the ratification process of the UPC agreement for a longer period of time than previously expected. Without the UK, Germany and France ratifying…

Are you a patent attorney in training, retired or qualified with too much free time (almost impossible, but maybe ...) and do you like translating patents ?  Are you an experienced patent translator ? Can you spare the time to translate for us on a regular basis ?  Can you timely deliver translations with excellent quality ?  Do you like to be part of a team but work from home in your own (s)pace ?  We are expanding our translator base for the following language pairs : EN-FR, EN-DE, EN-NL, DE-FR, FR-NL  and vice versa.  Please apply by sending us an email with…

Everyone was expecting the UPC to come into force by the end of this year.  However, things may not be that simple anymore after the recent British elections, the Brexit problematic, and - surprise -  the German Federal Constitutional Court.  According to the Kluwer Patent Blog, the ratification could be delayed by ... another two years. DIPS International is ready for the UPC, but until then, we are ready to accept your orders for the usual validations and translations.

During the holiday period (June-August), DIPS International will be available for taking your orders. However, from 19 June till 7 July, it might take some more time  than usual before we may reply to your request.  We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

From January 1, 2017,  to validate an EP patent in Belgium (when granted after January 1, 2017),  all you have to do, is pay the annuity fee.  It is not necessary to file any translation or PoA  anymore, nor even communicate with the Belgian Patent Office.  However, it is advisable to register DIPS International with the Belgian Patent Office as an address for service in case the Patent Office needs to contact you. PATENT VALIDATION The Belgian Parliament recently adopted a new regulation (Law of 29th June 2016, containing various provisions regarding the economy, articles 22, 48, 60) impacting patent…