Welcome to Greenshoots
Greenshoots is a collection of fresh intellectual property insight, analysis and commentary on the issues that matter most to those who invent, manage and protect intellectual property, written by the IP specialists of Appleyard Lees.
Now that you’re here, why not take a look around?

CRISPR: Broad Institute win latest patent battle
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (‘Broad’) have won the latest round in the ongoing battle over patents relating to the gene editing technology, CRISPR.

The Unitary Patent
The UP will, for the first time, offer patent proprietors the option to have a single patent covering multiple EU member states (17 at the time of writing, likely to be more in the future). As an alternative, the current “classical” validation route in different states will continue.

Introduction to Intellectual Property: Myths and Misconceptions
Intellectual property can help a business protect its innovation and brand, while making it more

G02/21: what are the implications for opposition proceedings right now?
It appears that the EPO will stay proceedings in cases where the assessment of inventive step is exclusively reliant on whether post-published evidence can be taken into consideration.

OhPolly loses design infringement battle against Original Beauty: a crash course in quantifying loss
“Damages inquiries are rare in intellectual property cases”. Fortunately, every now and again, a case is heard on inquiry, providing practitioners and rights holders with a practical refresher on the calculation of damages in UK proceedings.

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – episode 25 – An introduction to the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court
After years of uncertainty, both the Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) could be live as early as October 2022.

Centralised European patent protection and enforcement is coming (almost certainly this time)
After years of uncertainty, both the Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) could be live from as early as October 2022. These new systems will centralise patent protection and enforcement within many EU countries.

Refiling refreshed registrations: what are the rules?
Logos often evolve over time. It’s a way to maintain consumer recognition by retaining familiar, recognisable features, whilst also keeping up with design trends. Olivia Hamilton discusses ‘non-use’, ‘bad faith’, and the rules around re-filing refreshed trade marks.

The Greenshoots Podcast by Appleyard Lees – episode 24 – Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report 2021
This episode follows the release of Appleyard Lees inaugural Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report 2021. Authors David Walsh, Chris Mason and Paul Beynon discuss key insights from the report, and the complexities of analysing patent data.