PatOffice is a breakthrough in user friendly bespoke Patent Document Databases. It automatically updates the user on recently published patent applications and ranks them according to the users instructions. We use it to create full text search-able content, from PDFs. This can be used as a stand alone, and fed by your own search results (provide patent application numbers) and hence avoids the need to pay fees of other commercial databases. It can also be used in conjunction to these databases. Please contact us for further information!

If you have an invention and you want a patent application drafted up by an attorney, here are some tips:

Do a search using espacenet, google patents, FreepatentsOnline or patentscope.

Find the closest piece of prior art.

Get a grip on how your invention differs to this piece of prior art and why it is advantageous and not obvious to someone in this field.

Give your invention a Title.

Give an introduction to the invention and its technology background.

Describe the problem to be solved.

Give examples of your invention, with drawings if necessary.

Try to describe the working of the invention, so in use what happens.

Describe why you think this is so useful and better than what already exists.

Talk to a patent attorney and get quotes.

Innovation can be difficult to even get off the ground, Innovation Vouchers administered by Enterprise Ireland and InvestNI are a simple mechanism to get a prototype created.

I have personal experience in getting two such vouchers which have led to otherwise unobtainable progress on product development as well as Industrial Partnerships. These vouchers relate to our Sports Rehydration product CreaLYTE exploiting German Technology, owned by Ocean Pharma Gmbh, in addition to collaborations with a Waterford based pharmaceutical formulation company.


We are offering help and advice to Innovation Voucher recipients, so if you have received one or you are applying for one, why not contact us to see how we may protect your invention(s): mail@patentnav.com


Links are found here: Enterprise Ireland Innovation Vouchers and InvestNI Innovation Vouchers

Searching is really advisable before you decide to apply for a patent, trade mark or design registration because it could save you 1000s of Euros in attorney costs for filing an application on something that is not register-able (not new perhaps) or owned by someone else.

If you are considering setting up an IP Holding Company in Ireland, here are some of the advantages:

● Achieve Irish corporation tax as low as 2.5% on intellectual property income
● Maintain 100% ownership and control of the intellectual property
● Access a large network of double taxation treaties
● Cost-effectively establish a European HQ for centralised management of royalties
● Monetize intellectual property in a low-tax, stable, on-shore jurisdiction
● Establish trading and substance requirements under Irish and international tax law
● Access relevant expertise including intellectual property management skills
● Outsource key activities to minimise head-count and overhead
● Achieve a high degree of flexibility making it easy to facilitate future options

I am working on a new version of the AtoZ Generics iPhone app which may include UK data exclusivity data for drugs, but will include generic versions of drugs and other relevant US patents.

The calculation in the UK is

a) for centralised applications add 10 years to the European First Marketing Authorisation Date

b) for national or mutual recognition procedure applications, add 10 years to the corresponding European First Marketing Authorisation Date

c) for Irish calculations, add 6 years instead of 10 as in b) above

Contact us for more information if necessary mail@patentnav.com

I am giving a seminar on IP already existing in Green Energy at the http://greenenergybizcamp.ie/

Why not come along and listen to me and other experts in this field? I will show our iPad app for Biofuels too.

We are looking at launching a new Institute in Ireland dedicated to providing Intellectual Property Education to anyone. This will be a service offered on the International stage and include IP experts of International standing on issues relating to
1) IP Law
2) Practice
3) Management
4) Drafting of Specifications
5) Licensing & Montesiation of IP
6) Ownership
7) Litigation

If anyone would like to join us on this journey or simply register an interest, let me know on edward@patentnav.eu

By using the Enhanced Cooperation mechanism, the EU has circumvented the CJEU ruling that a Unitary Patent is contrary to the EU Treaties. The EPO has welcomed this move so it looks like a cheaper European Patent is not far off. I remember discussing this with a European Patent Attorney 10 years ago and he vowed it would never happen due to vested interests (including his own) and political agendas.

The current European Patent Convention provides a patent grant system that does not give the applicant a pan European Patent, but a bundle of patents that need to be validated in member states (up to 40). This increases costs to an already expensive prosecution system. The patent examination and grant is carried out by the European Patent Office which is not part of the EU. It is a separate entity.

Compared to a US patent, which may cost about $5000 to obtain, a European Convention patent can cost three to ten times that.

Lets all hope this comes off, without anymore delay. Innovators need the most efficient and cheapest ways possible to get valid protection for their creations, and not have to pay for unnecessary bureaucratic and professional obstacles.

Why not attend our FREE event in Kilkenny, Pembroke Hotel? You might even get a free shatter safe hurley stick!

Register here! http://www.eventbrite.com/org/942718155

The Irish Patent Law allows for a Short Term Patent, which is cheaper (half the price in official fees) than a standard patent application but only lasts for 10 years and you (the applicant) does not need to provide evidence of the invention's novelty, reducing costs dramatically.

Short term patents are particularly useful for inventions with a short commercial life span and/or for the SME sector.

Hi
I will be giving free seminars in
1) Belfast on 25th March
2) Carlow on 31st March
3) Kilkenny April 26th
and a paid for seminar on pharmaceutical patents
4) Carlow or Dublin April 26th TBC

More details will follow, email me on info@patentnav.eu for further details.

Eddie

If your product is new, and looks different to what already exists. it probably qualifies for Design right protection. The appearance of your product, e.g. shape, texture, colour, materials used, contours and ornamentation can contribute to difference over existing designs.

If you can not afford to patent your product, or even if you can, you should think about registering the design. Official filing costs are as little as 70 Euros in Ireland, and 350 Euros for a Community Design application.

The Hague System is an international Design application and can be quite a bit more expensive but still cost effective, the fee calculator is found here.

If your product has been already published in Europe you still have 12 months from that date to file for Registered Design Rights.

If you have published your products design, you automatically get unregistered design protection in Europe. But this only lasts for 3 years from Publication.

Contact us for more information info@patentnav.eu 

If the Irish Patents Office was invested in, then it could easily increase its income from filing fees. It seems that the average rate is 1000 patent applications per year to the Irish Patents Office with some filings are being lost to the European Patents Office and the UKIPO.
With a filing fee being 125 Euros, this brings 125,000 Euros per year, a target for the Irish Patents Office would be to reach an income of 500,000 by 2015 in filing fees. This could be achieved by online filings with a reduced fee and increased awareness.

We are designing a new iPhone app for Generic Suppliers to inform medical practitioners and pharmacists of the generic alternatives available. If you are interested in having your product included, let me know, edward@patentnav.eu

Our FaceBook page now has Irish patent publications by Irish Companies appearing on it every week. Why not LIKE it keep informed, or suggest a technology which we will create a new page for, which you LIKE.

Virtual Intellectual Property Officer Service (VIPOS)

As Ireland was not deemed to be a big enough market for pharmaceutical patent owners to file in and Ireland did not join the European Patent Convention until August 1992. The European Patent Office came into being on 7 October 1977 on the basis of the European Patent Convention (EPC) signed in Munich in 1973.

This is now an opportunity, as generic drugs are cheaper and have to be as efficacious as the Pioneer Branded Product. A list of drugs and their patent status in Ireland, UK and USA is provided here or you can download or AtoZ Generics iPhone App for other drugs of interest ($0.99).

PatentNav is now based in Dublin and Kilkenny.
We aim to make patent, trade mark and design protection more affordable, accessible and transparent. If you would like to discuss protecting your creations or arrange a meeting please do not hesitate to contact us for further details on
info@patentnav.eu or 
IE: 1800 948 350 and +353 (0)860684985 or
UK: +44 (0)28 90772385 and +44 (0)7817631735

Here are the Irish (Inc NI) data supplied by the European Patent Office on the number of European Patent Applications filed in 2009.

As the Island of Ireland, both the Republic and Northern Ireland have very low patent filings per capita (ROI is in bottom tier of Europe and NI is bottom tier for the UK), I think it is high time for a combined effort by professionals and educators to look for a minimum of a 10% increase year on year in filings. I don't think we can afford to wait for politicians or agencies to change this, they have after all presided over the current state of play, also decisions on IP filings need to be carefully considered but also should be made relatively quickly. 

VIPOS (Virtual Intellectual Property Officer Services) is ideal for SME and Microenterprises, as they can avail of our Intellectual Property Search and Strategic expertise for a one off annual fee, or monthly fee instead of hiring an in house IP expert.

Having attended the Invest Kilkenny event, being from Kilkenny and the Irish Patents Office is based on the Hebron Rd there, I think it would be great to get a permanent PatentNav presence. I am seriously looking at this, but I am also looking at organising an IP workshop for IP creators, maybe at the beautiful Castle Parade Tower venue. 

You often hear the term IP Strategy and sometimes it is used to state the obvious, i.e. file patent, trade mark and design applications as soon as you can, in the countries of interest and most relevant to your commercial activities. 

Looking forward to the new Hurley girl to be added to www.jjhurley.com So far the pics look fantastic. Might do a competition for her name.

I think I have completely recovered from the Dublin 2010 marathon now

I think a Trade Mark should be the first piece of Intellectual Property filed by a company. Trade Marks represent your goods and/or services and distinguish them from those of others, and can be words, logos, colours or even 3D shapes.

Well Done to Flan Marsh, he has invented a new safer, shatter safe hurley stick and his website is up now HERE

A company I follow on twitter is celebrating its first anniversary, PatentNav officially started trading in April 2010 when it was the only company in Ireland to get an iPad accepted for the iPad launch in the USA. It was a great day and thanks to Andy McCartney for doing all the hard work, and the NISP for helping us with PR.

I am a big believer in cartoons as educational tools, and a great project I am working on right now is the development of a new cartoon character called JJ Hurley Boy, see www.jjhurley.com. JJ has a friend who will be available soon, as well as her name. The whole story stems from Cu Cullain and this will be rolled out soon. However there is a real product behind the character, a new safer hurley stick invented by Flan Marsh of Broadford in Clare.

I am very keen on using mobile technologies to increase awareness of Intellectual Property, and the legal mechanisms available to the public to protect their creations.

It makes sense to use as many registration systems as you can afford.

Patent protection is for Inventions that are new, usually technical and not obvious

Trade Mark protection is for words, logos and shapes that distinguish your goods from those of another

Design protection is for what is visible to the eye, over all get up of a product