Category: Patents / Trade Secrets
How to protect innovation in the cosmetics industry: patents, utility models or trade secrets?
The cosmetics industry in Spain is a clear example of innovation and competition. According to the Spanish Cosmetics, Toiletries and Perfumery Association (STANPA), Spain generates around 36% of the industry’s European patents. Companies in this field invest between 3.4% and 5% of their turnover in R+D+i, a percentage that is well above that of other […]
Further setback for the cosmetic industry regarding protection of personal hygiene products
A recent decision of the Examination Division of the European Patent Office has highlighted the importance of the need for creativity when drafting patents in the cosmetic sector in order to circumvent the prohibition on patenting methods of use for this type of product. The cosmetic industry, which includes personal hygiene products, is one of […]
New setback for DABUS: An artificial intelligence system cannot be an inventor
Both the European Patent Office (EPO) and the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) have refused the first patent applications designating an artificial intelligence (AI) system, called DABUS, as an inventor, considering that only a natural person can be an inventor. DABUS (device and method for the autonomous bootstrapping of unified sentience) is an artificial […]