Patent decision

BL number

O/0260/25

Concerning rights in

EP(UK) 2071737 B1

Hearing Officer

Dr J E Porter

Decision date

19 March 2025

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

TOP Optimized Technologies, SLTOT Power Control, SL and Vodaphone Group plc

Provisions discussed

Patents Act 1977 section 13(3) Patents Rules 2007 rule 10(2)

Keywords

Costs, Inventorship, Withdrawal

Related Decisions

O/175/18

Summary

In 2018, the claimants filed an entitlement reference and applications concerning removal and addition of inventors. The comptroller declined to deal with the entitlement reference, due to parallel High Court proceedings, and stayed the inventorship applications.

Since that time, the Office has written periodically to the parties seeking an update on the court proceedings. The claimants’ representative stated in 2019 that the court proceedings were stayed, and in 2020 that the claimants intended to make an application to lift the stay. Since then, no further updates on the court proceedings have been received. In October 2024, the Office set a final period for the parties to provide an update. In December 2024, it set out the hearing officer’s preliminary view on the way forward.

This decision confirms that preliminary view, orders that the applications filed under section 13(3) and rule 10(2) are now treated as withdrawn, and makes no order as to costs.

Full decision O/0260/25 111Kb