The new guidelines for the substantive examination of national patent applications will come into effect on 1 January 2019.From this date, those carrying out paediatric studies for medicinal products can request at the IPI an extension to a supplementary protection certificate (SPC) or, if no conventional SPC exists, a paediatric SPC. The IPI has therefore integrated the relevant legislative...

Are only start-ups innovative? Do SMEs run out of ideas? At the Swiss Innovation Forum in Basel, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) is hosting a breakout session on this topic. On 22 November, the Swiss Innovation Forum (SIF) will take place in Basel. Once again, the main partner is the IPI. The motto of this year’s event is “Surprise” – the key to innovation and...

Eleven girls and boys visited the IPI on Switzerland’s National Future Day to get a fascinating glimpse into the world of work of their parents. We wanted to find out what they would invent themselves. On 8 November, children got to know the IPI and take a look into the world of trade marks, patents and designs as part of Switzerland’s National Future Day. Following the welcome at 8.30am,...

The IPI has now been providing patent and trade mark searches for more than thirty years. But in November 2003, following a steady growth in demand for professionally prepared bases for decisions on trade marks and patents, the IPI decided to give its services its own name and platform in the form of “ip-search”. ip-search stands not only for premium quality patent and trade mark searches, but...

The Institute Council of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) has appointed Jürgen Horwath and Iwan Guler as new members of the IPI Executive Board. Mr Guler, whose appointment comes into effect in April 2019, follows in the footsteps of Ueli Buri, who has been selected as the new Data Protection Commissioner of the Canton of Bern. Jürgen Horwath will become an executive...

The exhibition at the Swiss Customs Museum on counterfeiting and piracy has been a great success. As a result, it is to be extended for a further year in 2019. The Swiss Customs Museum in Cantine di Gandria in Ticino is closing its doors until next April for the winter season. But in doing so, it has also taken stock of the most recent season: according to the Federal Customs Administration,...

Change of practice from the “infringement test” to “Medeva”

Even a door lock or a radiator can look chic: the jury of the DesignEuropa Awards announced the eight finalists for the award ceremony in November. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) will host the DesignEuropa Awards 2018 on 27 November in Warsaw. Its jury has now presented four finalists for each of the two categories. “Industry Award”...

A partial revision to the Patents Act and its implementing provisions will come into force together with an ordinary revision of the Therapeutic Products Act on 1 January 2019. This was decided by the Federal Council at its meeting on 21 September 2018 (Media release of 21 September 2018 in German/French/Italian).The partial revision introduces the following...

An information event will take place at the IPI on 16 October 2018 on the changes to patent law that will come into force on 1 January 2019. The IPI will present the new procedures for the ‘paediatric extension’, while Swissmedic representatives and the pharmaceutical industry will highlight other aspects that should be considered in practice. There will also be the...