Brian Cronin
Brian Cronin is a British Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney with over 45 years experience, having a technical background in physics and physical chemistry. His practice Cronin Intellectual Property is located in Nyon, Switzerland. Apart from drafting at work and supervising trainees, he has been giving courses for drafting European patents since 1992. His book Drafting & Amending European Patents condenses his vast experience into a comprehensive analysis for seasoned professionals and beginners. It contains numerous references to US practice and will be useful to US practitioners interested in protection in Europe.
Posts by Brian Cronin
Flexible problem-solution analysis for drafters with Europe in mind
The problem-solution paradigm has become a cornerstone of patentability in Europe. If the invention cannot be reduced to the format of a technical solution to a technical …
Could or should the USPTO adopt the EPO problem-and-solution approach for assessing obviousness?
There is a plausible case that the US law on obviousness is indeed compatible with the EPO problem-and-solution approach. It could even be said that the steps …
The quest for patent quality: European inventive step and US obviousness
In Europe and the US, patentability depends on a showing of inventiveness that is based on similar legal requirements but practice differs substantially and the resulting patent …
Comparing and Contrasting European 2-part claims with US Jepson claims
European practice requires a strict distribution of the features before and after "characterizing", where those prior art features that are common with the definition of the invention …
