Activis UK Limited v Eli Lilly

In a landmark judgement the Supreme Court has rewritten the rules on how patents are to be interpreted. The new world is great news for patent lawyers but not necessarily for their clients.

The Old World

Since section 6 of the Statute of Monopolies came into force on 25 May 1624,  it has been possible for inventors to lawfully obtain patents in the UK giving them a limited duration monopoly over certain types of new products or processes.