York: Legal Research and Market Research

The Station from the Great Wall of York

As our generous host, Eileen Morrow has already reported, there was an all too infrequent gathering of SOLO IP lawyers yesterday in York. The excuse was an excellent training session on WESTLAW IP given by Paul Mullally. He showed us how to find the content we needed to argue our cases before the EPO or in the UK, how to get to use their highly efficient Current Awareness that finds stuff behind the Times pay wall and from all those sources we don't have time to check. This is all accessible and affordable due to our special subscription but you need to join at this time of year (before December) so get in touch quickly to be as smart as biglaw.

There were lots of goodies from The Yorkshire Food Company to keep the conversation flowing. A few highlights:

• Will we be able to get more disputes settled in the Patents County Court with its new procedure exciting new judge and costs cap. Does that cap apply to existing cases. We could not see why it should not or at least for steps undertaken after 1 October 2010. Discovery before that could be arguable. What do you think?
• Open Innovation and Innovation by Brainstorming. How can maverick IP lawyers solve the problems.
• The miserable number of European Patent Applications emerging from Yorkshire companies (200 pa was mooted). 
• Why do German entrepreneurs see greater value in patents than UK business
• Getting messages across to clients in blogs and press releases
• Using Software as a Service - I need a link here for the time recording and billing iPhone app
• Charging and the need to record time even if the bills are all fixed fees agreed in advance
• CPD collecting - did a plug here for Ipso Jure which has excellent patent coverage and will give you quality points and notes for a modest annual subscription. Contact Peter to sign up

Homeward bound

and the sun shone outside and we were all impressed with the Yorsolicitor office and hope that lots of bio science entrepreneurs will realise what an excellent resource is there to guide them economically and efficiently and with the wisdom, initiative and experience which is the hallmark of the SOLO IP lawyer.