The German Constitutional Court issued a landmark decision with implications for many companies doing business in Europe on July 9, 2021. For decades, the European Commission and EU member states strived to create a pan-European Unified Patent Court (UPC). After overcoming many hurdles, any sensible commentator will be cautious in making statements about the future … Continue Reading
Germany recently passed a reform bill for the Patent Act (PatG) and its new provisions will likely be coming into force sooner rather than later. The reform is particularly relevant for companies from the life sciences sector, which often litigate in this pro-patentee jurisdiction. The modifications to PatG address: Confidentiality concerns. New section 145a PatG … Continue Reading
By Tilman Siebert and Dr. Corinna Kammerer on Posted in EME Life Sciences
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy implemented further amendments to the Foreign Trade and Payments Ordinance (Außenwirtschaftsverordnung – AWV) due to the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent the buyout of German companies active in the life sciences and infection protection sectors by investors from outside the EU (or EFTA). The amendment entered into … Continue Reading
Reed Smith will be hosting an upcoming CLE webinar, “Germany discovers trade secret protection! A comparative dive into the German and U.S. approach” on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 at 12 p.m. BST and again at 12 p.m. ET. Trade secrets and technical know-how represent valuable assets, especially for industries like the life sciences. Until recently, … Continue Reading
By Anette Gaertner and Jonathan Diehl on Posted in EME Life Sciences
Germany is one of the most important patent litigation jurisdictions in Europe, making developments in its patent law very important to life sciences companies operating globally. In recent years, the number of cases regarding claims for the transfer of patents has risen steadily in Germany. If an application is filed by someone who is not … Continue Reading
