Software patents

Wed 25th Feb 2026

Newly refreshed and relaunched for 2026

Sun 17th Mar 2024

Clare Stephens explains the impact of the Chancellor's Spring Budget on the UK's science and technology industries.

Wed 26th Apr 2023

Virginia Driver named one of the top 250 women in IP in 2023.

Tue 11th Apr 2023

Changes to R&D tax relief for costs relating to innovations that are not covered by a granted patent, took effect on 1 April 2023.

Tue 11th Apr 2023

How Patent Box tax relief can help companies holding a qualifying patent reduce their rate of corporation tax.

Mon 23rd Jan 2023

Congratulations, your patent has been granted! Now what?

Mon 9th Jan 2023

Page White Farrer is pleased to announce the promotion of European patent attorney Dr. Andrew McKinlay in our Leeds office from a senior associate to partner.

Thu 15th Dec 2022

In the second of our IP Guides for Startups, patent attorney Elizabeth Mills explains what is happening at the patent office while you wait to hear if you have been granted a patent.

Tue 15th Nov 2022

A patent is a useful business tool as it can be utilised to stop competitors from copying your invention, to attract investors, for publicity and marketing, and to obtain revenue through licensing. 

Wed 7th Sep 2022

Yes, you can patent an app. We are often asked this question by app developers, and many find that answer surprising because there is a myth that it is not possible to obtain a patent for computer code.

Mon 11th Jul 2022

The EPO Legal Board of Appeal issued a decision (J 8/20) in December 2021 to dismiss an appeal against a decision to refuse a patent application the basis that the designation of inventor named ‘DABUS’, an AI system, as the inventor.

Fri 8th Jul 2022

Innovate UK are today launching a new series of grants totaling £30 million. The Fast Start: Innovation Grants application process is open for entry to innovative UK small and micro-businesses from 11 to 26 July 2022.

Wed 8th Jun 2022

Page White Farrer is pleased to announce the promotion of three European patent attorneys in our London office.

Mon 14th Feb 2022

The question of whether the European Patent Convention confers jurisdiction on the EPO to determine whether a party validly claims to be a successor in title as referred to in Article 87(1)(b) has been referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal.

Mon 10th Jan 2022

The European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled that an AI system will not be recognised as an inventor for the purposes of obtaining a European patent as, unlike a human, a system does not have legal capacity.

Thu 16th Dec 2021

Top of the IP strategy agenda for any patent owners in 2022 should be the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and the unitary patent (UP), according to Olaf Ungerer, a German and European Patent Attorney in Munich.

Mon 29th Nov 2021

If you have a software or AI solution to a technical problem where there is currently no off-the-shelf solution, you will need protect your intellectual property with a patent before launching it in the public domain.

Mon 1st Nov 2021

If set up and administered well, patent pools can provide significant benefits for the market, such as reductions in transaction costs, more reasonable aggregate royal-ties, and a better ability to create a level playing field. These benefits can make pa-tent pools an attractive option for standard-based licensing where there are multiple licensors holding SEPs.

Fri 10th Sep 2021

One of the greatest concerns regarding the use of patent pools, especially by technology giants, is that collaboration can also lead to anti-competitive practices.  So, while patent pools have many benefits, especially for emerging technologies, the risks cannot be ignored.

Wed 4th Aug 2021

Patent pools have a long history, and one of the first patent pools was formed in 1856 for sewing machines.  These days they form an important part of the basis for industry standards in regard to technologies which are necessary (essential) to develop compatible products and services. Examples can be seen in the fields of mobile communications, information coding, public health etc. and they often relate to technologies that are yet to be fully developed.

Thu 22nd Jul 2021

Where a company is developing technology which needs to adhere to industry-wide standards, then it may be advantageous or necessary to participate in a patent pool.

Tue 13th Apr 2021

When the UK left the EU, new intellectual property rights and exclusions were created in the system of protection for designs. These changes mean that companies and designers have some important choices to make about where to disclose designs first; whether to register designs; and if so, where to register their designs first. Oliver Spies and David Roberts highlight the three key lessons for design owners.

Mon 15th Mar 2021

Olaf Ungerer, a partner and European patent attorney in Munich, highlights key lessons for patent attorneys concerning the patentability of computer-implemented simulations, following the long-awaited decision from the European Patent Office (EPO) on the referred questions in G1/19.

Mon 7th Dec 2020

If you have established some strong marketing channels, with an extensive database, good customer knowledge and a productive sales engine, you may be on the lookout for new products which might compliment your existing portfolio.

Thu 19th Nov 2020

For EU design registrations which are registered and published by the end of 2020, an equivalent “cloned” UK registered design will be automatically created at no cost to the EU registered design rights holder. 

Fri 13th Nov 2020

After the UK leaves the EU at the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021, new EU registered community designs (RCDs) will no longer provide registered design protection in the UK.

After 1 January 2021, if you wish to obtain both EU and UK registered design protection, it will be necessary to apply for these registered designs separately.

Mon 24th Aug 2020

An audit of your intellectual property will pay dividends as it enables a business to identify new revenue streams, enhance business value, implement best practice, assess and reduce the risk of competition.  It is particularly important for any business with a strong brand or knowledge-based products or services.

Wed 12th Aug 2020

Your logo is an important part of your branding, and the last thing you want is to see another business using an identical or very similar logo that might cause confusion amongst customers and which could devalue your brand.

Thu 21st May 2020

A recent decision by the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) relates to European Patent Convention (EPC) law and provides guidance for software companies seeking to protect an inventive step in a graphical user interface at the European Patent Office (EPO).

Thu 23rd Apr 2020

Patent attorney Virginia Driver recently gave a presentation to the Bruntwood SciTech Wednesday community, looking at how individual innovators can protect their inventions and creations.

Wed 8th Apr 2020

We hope that you are keeping well and are settling into this new way of working.

Mon 6th Apr 2020

It seems that some of the Intellectual Property Offices are experiencing issues, but some have arranged extensions of deadlines. Some offices have closed. Problems are occurring in the courts where some hearings are being cancelled.

Fri 27th Mar 2020

The UKIPO announced changes to its services on 27 March 2020 as a result of the business /postal disruption during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fri 27th Mar 2020

The UKIPO issued details of changes to their services on 27 March 2020 as a result of the disruption to applicants’ businesses and the ability to receive and send post during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Wed 11th Mar 2020

Finding and entering new markets is key to the growth of any business, whether this is selling to a new industry sector or into a foreign territory. But this can be time-consuming and labour intensive and difficult to do well if you do not have anyone who speaks the language, understands the sector or is familiar with differences in the cultural or regulatory environment.

Tue 16th Jul 2019

Page White and Farrer has been acknowledged as one of the leading patent law firms in Europe by the Financial Times in its 2019 survey report.

Mon 21st Jan 2019

Simply, patents protect inventions. Our qualified patent attorneys have put together this collection of frequently asked questions to assist you with securing patent
protections for your intellectual property.

Sat 19th Jan 2019

Your brand comprises many elements, including your company and domain names and as with all your intellectual property assets, it is important to take active steps to protect them.

Sat 5th Jan 2019

A registered trade mark is an asset, which can be sold, licensed, and mortgaged. A trade mark registration gives a monopoly to stop certain use by others of similar marks
on similar goods. It gives you more certainty that a trade mark is available for your use, as it has already been through an opposition stage

Mon 6th Aug 2018

On 27 March 2018, the German Federal Court of Justice (the Bundesgerichtshof – Germany’s highest court of civil and criminal jurisdiction) made a decision relating to case X ZB 18/16 ‘Feldmausbekämpfung’ which confirms that methods cannot benefit from patent protection under the utility model in Germany.

Wed 18th Apr 2018

David Roberts examines the UKIPO’s approach to Landmark Graphics Corporation’s application to patent geological computer software and the requirement for a technical contribution.

Thu 5th Apr 2018

At this year’s iF seminar in London, Virginia Driver was one of a panel of three industry experts discussing the potential for UK SMEs to become leaders in innovation, research and development. The panel discussed a wide variety of topics, including entrepreneurship, patent protection and keys to success.

Sat 23rd Jan 2016

As the country and the UK government get to grips with the implications of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, what are the implications for intellectual property?