The IP Podcast

Each year, to mark International Women in Engineering Day, we like to highlight the experiences of the inspiring women in our network and find out how they started their journey into studying a STEM subject. In this special episode of the IP Podcast, Sarah Richmond (Senior Associate) interviewed Jessica Gagen, Aerospace Engineering Graduate, model and the reigning Miss England, about her experiences and the importance of the female role model.

Female engineers around the world are still hugely under-represented, with the latest figures indicating that only 16.5% of engineers in the UK are women, meaning the part of a female role model is more important than ever. As a firm that has an almost 50/50 gender split, we understand the importance of the part we play in encouraging young women and girls to pursue an education or career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

In this special edition of our IP podcast, we are doing things a bit differently and talking about returning to work after maternity leave.

Each year we acknowledge International Women’s day and use it as an opportunity to highlight the achievements of the inspiring women in our network. This year’s events got us talking and as a firm that is almost 50% female, we felt we were well placed to discuss the common issues faced by women in the workplace. Claire Whittle (Marketing and Communications Manager), Laura Ramsay (Partner) and Polly Shaw (Head of HR) discuss how experiences of transitioning back to work after maternity leave might differ, and offer advice on making your first few weeks back in the office as smooth as possible.

In episode two of our special “Women in STEM” podcast series, we interview Rebecca Gardner (Partner) and Rosie Lawrence (Technical Assistant).  Rebecca and Rosie work in the Dehns Biotech team and are based in our Brighton office. With Rebecca starting her career in the mid-90s and Rosie joining the workplace in 2020, this episode delves into their different experiences - during their studies and when entering the workplace - and the effect of increased diversity in STEM.

In this episode of The IP Podcast, Senior Associate Daniel Rowe discusses a topic relating to the biotechnology and pharma industries: repurposed drugs and skinny labelling.

Tune in to hear Dan answer:

• What are repurposed drugs and why are they important?
• Can repurposed drugs be patent protected even though the patent covering the original drug may have expired?
• What is a skinny label?

All these questions and more, answered in less than 20 minutes!

In the second episode The IP Podcast's UPC special, Dehns Partner Mark Bell discusses what factors people need to consider when deciding on the best course of action for their patent, patents or patent applications, including:

• Where does the patent owner or applicant wish to obtain patent protection?

• The costs of validation and renewal for European patents

• Will the jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) be a potential problem?

• Loss of flexibility in managing the patent portfolio over the life of a European patent

All these questions and more, answered in less than 30 minutes!

In this episode of The IP Podcast, we’re looking at a major topic in the IP world, and certainly the biggest and most significant change to the European Patent system for nearly 50 years - the introduction of the Unified Patent Court and the Unitary Patent.

Dehns Partner Mark Bell discusses:

• What is the Unified Patent Court?
• What is the Unitary Patent?
• How will it affect those with either granted or pending European patents?

All these questions and more, answered in less than 30 minutes!

Kicking off the first episode of the long awaited Season 2 of The IP Podcast, Dehns Partner Tim Wilson discusses NFTs, answering:

• What are NFTs? 
• What are they useful for? 
• What benefit does owning an NFT give?
• What are the main IP issues to be considered with NFTs? 

All these questions and more, answered in less than 20 minutes!

In this special WOMEN IN STEM episode, you’ll hear from some of the women in the Dehns senior management team as they discuss their STEM career journey, from the challenges they’ve faced, the current STEM landscape and how it has changed, and also what they love about their STEM careers and working in IP.

In this episode we look at a range of important IP topics not yet covered by our previous episodes and which any size of company should consider as a way of protecting and using their IP to help achieve their corporate objectives. This includes: IP Strategy; Portfolio Review; Analytics and Investigation; Investment and Capital Raising; Information Control; Valuation; Due Diligence; and Licencing and Collaboration. Dehns IP Consultant Sam Cleary discusses what these are, how and when you might need to consider them, and the potential high impact they can have on a business.

In this episode we look at Oppositions in the content of IP – what is an Opposition? What are the grounds for Opposition and what’s the procedure? What if someone files an Opposition against one of my granted patents? How long can the process take and how much might it cost? All these questions and more are answered by Dehns patent attorney and Oppositions expert, Laura Ramsay.

In this episode we are joined by two senior members of the team at Oxford University Innovation, which is the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) for the University of Oxford. We consider the role and objectives of a TTO, and OUI in particular, and the importance that Intellectual Property plays in that role to achieve their objectives. We also look at how OUI, the University’s academics and inventors, and its patent attorneys such as Dehns, all collaborate and interact to work effectively together. In addition, we also discuss some of the challenges and pressures faced by a TTO.

Dehns Senior Associate Greg Iceton talks about a career as a patent attorney and discusses the recruitment process, the early days of being a trainee, the training and exams, the type of work and type of clients you can expect, what makes a good patent attorney, and also the rewards of becoming a patent attorney.

If you’re considering a career as a patent attorney, then this podcast is for you.

In this very special podcast, we speak to two people heavily involved in the Norwegian Life Sciences scene - Bjørn Klem (General Manager of the Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator (OCCI)), and Bjørn Steen Skålhegg (CEO of Arctic Pharma, one of the OCCI members). We discuss how the OCCI supports its members to accelerate the new development of new cancer diagnostics and medicines, and how IP fits in to that process; we also discover how Arctic Pharma has grown and developed from its early start-up days, and how IP has played such an important part in that growth.

In this podcast we look at Designs as an IP Right. What are they? How do you get one? What value do they bring to a company? And how should they be used alongside other IP Rights, such as patents and trade marks, to create a structured IP Portfolio? Dehns Patent and Designs Attorney Dave Paton explains all.

In this episode we look at what happens if you think someone is infringing your patent by making, selling or using the technology that you’ve spent years, not to mention thousands of pounds, developing and protecting.

• What should you do first?

• How can you make them stop?

• What are your options? 

• What are the risks?

• How can you resolve the matter? 

• And how could you potentially turn this situation to your advantage?

All these questions, and more, answered by Dehns Patent Attorney, Dr Mark Bell.

In this episode we look at what happens if you’re accused of infringing someone else’s patent: What should you do first? What are your options? How can you resolve the matter? What could you have done to avoid this in the first place? And how could you potentially use this situation to your advantage?

All these questions, and more, answered by Dehns Patent Attorney, Dr Mark Bell.

If you don’t have Freedom to Operate, the consequences for your business could be catastrophic. This podcast looks at: what freedom to operate is; when you should think about it; how to check whether you have freedom to operate and what could happen if you don’t have freedom to operate; how a patent attorney can help.

This episode provides a quick introduction to the world of trade marks: what is a trade mark? Why do I need one? How do I get one? How much will it cost? Who can help me? All these questions, and more, are answered by Dehns Trade Mark Attorney Elaine Deyes.

The Patent Box is a UK government tax relief scheme to incentivise companies to locate their research and development (R&D) activities in the UK.

Under this scheme, UK companies can benefit from a reduced rate of corporation tax (at 10%, rather than the normal current rate of 19%) in relation to profits earned from their patented inventions

In this podcast we discuss how the Patent Box works, who is eligible to join the scheme, how to become eligible, how and when to join, and how to claim the reduced rate of tax.

We also look at a very recent case at the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal, relating to computer simulations, which has major implications for patentability and the development of new products.

In this episode, we look at the various ways in which you can get your patent granted overseas in the most cost effective way, including where, when and how you should make your patent applications.

In the second of this two-part podcast on how to obtain a granted patent, we look at how patent attorneys can overcome objections from the Patent Office, and what happens if a 3rd party objects to your application.

Additionally, we look at what might happen after the patent has been granted, because once granted, that’s not always the end of the story - it might just be the beginning…

Finally, we look at a ruling made very recently at the UK Supreme Court, and what the implications might be for those wishing to make patent applications in the future.

In the first of a two-part podcast, we look at how to get a patent granted once an application has been filed: how is a patent application examined? what should you do if an Examiner has any formal objections to your application; and how can you overcome these objections to improve your chances of obtaining legal protection for your innovation? 

We also discuss how humans are still better at some tasks than robots, and the physics of ski jumping.

What do you need in a patent application and how do you actually make a patent application?

In this episode we discuss the constituent parts of a formal patent application, and who does what as part of the process. Who can write an application, where do you submit it and what happens once you do submit it? All these questions, and more, are covered in Episode 4 of The IP Podcast. Plus a space trip down memory lane for one of our hosts…

Why ownership of an invention isn’t always straightforward.

We look at the actual ownership of an invention and who can claim the associated intellectual property rights. We also look at whether an employee has the rights to an invention, or the employer, how to identify and confirm ownership of an invention, and whether ownership rights are the same in each country.

The importance of keeping your idea confidential (for now). 

We look at how you should keep your ideas secret, who you can discuss your ideas with, what happens if someone ‘steals’ your idea, and when you can safely start selling your product.

How do you safely capture the innovation in your business? 

We discuss what you should do when you’ve come up with a new product or invention; how to capture innovation within your business; the options available to you once you’ve captured your ideas; and when is the right time to file a patent application.