Information on the unitary patent and the benefits for UK businesses.

The European Patent system is about to undergo a significant change, introducing the “Unitary Patent” and a new “Unified Patents Court”. 

This short video provides more information on the unitary patent and how it will provide time and cost benefits to UK businesses. 

A Unitary Patent is a European patent with unitary effect in a sub-set of the current European Patent Convention member states. A Unitary Patent provides uniform protection and equal effect in all the UP states. It may only be limited, transferred or revoked, or lapse, in respect of all the UP states. It may be licensed in respect of the whole or part of the territories of the UP states. 

There are 17 EPC member states which are participating in the UP: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Sweden. 

The UK is not participating in the UP, so the classic European patent validation process will still be followed for the UK. 

The advantages of the UP include removal of national validation procedures and reduction of costs at EP grant, and reduced renewal fees (the UP has a single annual renewal fee for the 17 UP states – the UP renewal fee is equivalent to the total of the renewal fees in the four most popular UP states). 

A potential disadvantage of the UP is that any patent litigation for infringement or validity of a UP will be handled centrally by a new Unified Patents Court (UPC), which has exclusive jurisdiction over UPs 

The Unitary Patent (UP) is expected to come into operation on 1st June 2023.

Top trademark tips for new brands and products

New year, new product? Or just looking to refresh your brand? Be sure to follow these tips to ensure a smooth process from brand selection to launch and avoid costly challenges and disputes along the way. 

1. Start early  

Clear names, logos and branding for use at the outset, and as early as possible ahead of your planned launch (ideally 6 months+). Engage your design or marketing team in the brand clearance process before they start work on a new name, logo or style. So often clearance is an afterthought when the brand has been chosen, with teams wedded to it and rollout already underway. At this stage if a challenge is encountered the time and expenditure already incurred may go to waste, and even if the challenge is manageable, the associated cost and delay to your launch may not be.  

2. Long-list to Short-list 

We offer fast-turnaround ‘knockout’ searches for ‘long-lists’ of potential names/logos, to quickly discount any which look problematic. A short-list can then be prepared and additional searches considered.  

3. Full clearance searches

Once you have a short-list of perhaps 1-3 preferred names or logos, conduct full clearance searches of the relevant trade mark registers as well as common law or ‘in-use’ searches.  

These searches can be staggered according to preference of name/logo, geographical scope and in line with your budget. Although anyone can conduct identical searches of many trade mark registers, and look for identical names/logos currently in use by using search engines, similar trade marks can be equally problematic and specialist searching software and professionals are required for this.  

Once the search data is received, we will analyse the results to provide a clear and concise assessment of the risks posed by any identical or similar trade marks. Trade marks registers are extremely crowded and it can be difficult to come up with an entirely original name or brand, but understanding what the risks are and if those risks are manageable for your business is key to the success of your brand launch.  

4. File Applications  

With our help you have selected a name or logo and you should now file applications in all relevant territories to protect that trade mark from third party use or misappropriation. If your brand will span multiple territories, this stage can be staggered using the six-month ‘priority’ afforded by your first application. This helps to manage budget by spreading cost and can be used to draw out potential challenges that may have been identified by the searches. 

We will advise on the most cost-effective and comprehensive registration strategy for your brand and budget; different positioning of words and logos, colour variations and other versions of your trade mark may be used in practice, and with separate applications usually required for each, the costs can mount up. We will ensure that you secure the broadest possible protection for your business within your budget. 

If your brand launch is highly confidential, we can advise how you can shield your application from public view for as long as possible whilst having your all-important ‘flag in the sand’.  

5. Swiftly deal with objections or challenges 

Unfortunately, objections from trade mark offices and third parties are common, but if you have followed the steps above these should be minimised. In the event of an objection, we are on hand to quickly and efficiently guide you through the process of overcoming the challenge and navigate towards a successful registration.   

6. Additional Considerations.  

You may have a new product or packaging design, or need a new domain name for your product or brand. We can advise on the registration of designs and registration or acquisition of domain names. 

You will also want to ensure that once your brand is selected third parties do not encroach on your rights. A trade mark watch can be put in place providing early notification of any identical or similar third party trade mark applications that you may wish to challenge. We can also provide online monitoring for your product or brand to alert us to unauthorised use of your trade mark online.  

If you are thinking about launching or refreshing your brand and would like our help, our trade mark attorneys are happy to have an initial chat. Get in touch here or email hello@two-ip.com 

  

 

Levels of innovation on the increase according to UK IPO report

The 2021/22 Innovation and Growth report from the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has been published. This report provides insight into the work the UKIPO has conducted over the past year and what this indicates in terms of growth in the UK.  

Increase in applications and filings 

The report shows increased demand across trade marks, designs and patents compared to previous years, with record numbers of trade mark and registered design applications being filed at the UKIPO . This suggests that investment in innovation continues despite the economic and Covid challenges that individuals and businesses have been facing.  

Operational Improvements 

Delivering on this increased demand has not been without its challenges, however. Application processing times were impacted during the year causing delays on decisions to grant and issuing of examination reports, but timelines are now back within the UKIPO’s target parameters. Operational improvements at the UKIPO will continue to be seen into 2023 with the ongoing implementation of its ‘One IPO’ transformation programme. As well as various back-office improvements, applicants and attorneys will start to see more consolidated digital services and information. The report highlights the digital renewal service, which was implemented in 21/22. This service has reduced renewal fee processing times for patents, trade marks and designs from five days to a matter of minutes. Other similar improvements are planned which will make the UKIPO much more user-friendly for attorneys and paralegals to interact with.  

Future Technologies 

As transformational technologies gain momentum, it has been important for the UKIPO to develop a deep understanding of both the opportunities and challenges they present. Developments such as AI, the Metaverse, blockchain and NFTs are good examples of areas it are discussing with stakeholders, including IP rights holders and the Chartered Institutes of Patent Attorneys and Trade Mark Attorneys . The establishment of a ‘Foresight Network’ of the UKIPO and these stakeholders will allow them to coordinate and continue their work, to ensure the UKIPO is well placed to deal with these innovations.  

Green Technologies 

To support the Government’s Ten-Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, the UKIPO published analysis of various green technology areas. Its research has established that of the top 10 patenting countries, the UK is the most specialised country for Offshore wind power and Greener building technology, which includes smart home technologies. Further research will continue this year as the number of applications and the range of technology/business areas covered by them increase, to include analysis of trade marks and analysis of patent trends.  

International collaboration 

The UKIPO continues to build and develop its relationships with IP Offices in other countries, to support innovators in the UK to obtain protection for their IP rights in potentially important markets. Specific projects and negotiations are ongoing with IPOs in United States, Brazil, India, the Middle East and areas across Asia.  

Engagement with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), G7 and European IPOs continues, with the UK IPO proactively engaging to support international collaboration and best practice sharing.  This includes planned recruitment of a European IP attaché who will be based in Brussels to build and maintain these international relationships.  

You can read the UKIPO’s full Innovation and Growth report for 21/22 here.

2022 Global Innovation Index: Innovation impact vs productivity

The World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) is a helpful indicator of geographical areas that are active when it comes to innovation. It also provides an up-to-date view of the important global innovation topics and trends.

Now in its 15th year, the comprehensive analysis of innovation input and output activity helps to determine the innovation position of global economies and areas in comparison with each other.

These rankings can help to provide a barometer of innovation around the world as well as help summarise the impact that innovation is having on global growth.

The 2022 GII reports that innovation investment remains high though this investment is not necessarily creating the expected impact. Slow adoption of technology and a stilted ability to translate innovations into productive implementation is seen as a key challenge to address.

In terms of the country rankings, Switzerland remains the highest-ranking country for level of innovation investment and success, and Europe features the largest number of top-ranking countries, reconfirming its place as a world-leading innovation area.

Emerging economies are also making their presence known and performing well, especially when compared to the relative size of their economies. Newcomers to the rankings include Indonesia, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. This indicates the future potential of a truly global innovation landscape.

The 2022 GII highlights two ‘innovation waves’ that WIPO believes to be influential in driving growth in the future:

A digital age innovation – supercomputing, AI and automation

A Deep Science innovation – biotechnology, nanotechnology and new materials.

These developments are likely to have a particular impact in areas such as Health, Food, Environment and Mobility.

The potential of these innovation waves though is likely to take some time to materialise, the report warns. In order for innovations to improve society and improve equality, obstacles such as technology adoption and diffusion need to be overcome first.

“Productivity is at the core of what we want our societies and economies to be tomorrow, in particular if we want to combine higher levels of equality while using natural resources more sensibly. A true revolution is driving innovation today, guided by Digital Age and Deep Science waves. We have a collective responsibility to draw the lessons of recent crises to put this revolution on the right track, and gear it to the future we want.”

GII Co-Editor and Portulans Institute Co-Founder Bruno Lanvin

You can read the full 2022 Global Innovation Index here.

What is IP Insurance and why might you need it? 

Intellectual property (IP) is an asset your business owns. Like any asset, there are situations where insurance to defray potentially costly claims can be a sensible precaution to take.

IP legal expenses insurance (LEI) isn’t appropriate for all businesses, but it is worth being aware of the situations where it might be a sensible investment. This blog shares our summary of IP LEI, the situations where it might be useful and the benefits of having it in place.

 

What is IP legal expenses insurance?

As with any other type of business insurance, IP legal expenses insurance (LEI) helps to mitigate significant costs – in the case of IP LEI, the costs of enforcing your IP rights and/or the costs of defending your business against an IP infringement action. If someone else infringes your IP rights, IP LEI can cover the costs of suing them for infringement, and if you are on the receiving end of IP litigation alleging infringement of someone else’s IP rights, IP LEI can cover the costs of defending the litigation.

Whatever the situation, IP litigation can be very costly and time-consuming to deal with so having insurance in place means you have a policy that will provide the finances for you to resolve it.

 

What types of IP insurance are available?

There is generally a scale of options and which option is right for you will depend on the level of risk and the price you are willing to pay for a policy.

Some common policy types are:

  • Opinion only: This enables you to obtain a professional opinion on your chances of success if you were to enforce or defend an IP infringement action
  • Enforcement or defence: This covers the costs of taking IP litigation action to enforce your rights as the IP owner or to defend against an allegation of IP infringement from others.
  • Damages: If you did lose an IP infringement action then this would cover you for any damages awarded.
  • Validity: This covers the legal costs of defending challenges to the validity of your IP rights; this is most generally applicable to patents.
  • Other options can also be added such as lost revenue or, increasingly important, cyber losses related to IP

However, for IP LEI it must usually be taken out “before the event” (BTE), i.e. before an (alleged) infringement has occurred. BTE LEI will only cover risk before an infringement claim is made or before the possibility of an infringement action ought to be known about. A decision to take out IP BTE insurance should therefore be considered as early as possible – this will also help to keep the insurance premium down.

UK cover will be the cheapest to obtain, followed by cover for Europe, Worldwide cover excluding the USA, and Worldwide cover including the USA; US IP litigation is the most expensive to action or defend, hence higher premiums will need to be paid. The premiums you pay will reflect the geographical cover you need. Taking out domestic cover early and expanding the cover as your markets grow is likely to be the most cost effective option.

Why might you consider getting IP Insurance?

The justification for IP insurance will depend on your specific situation and the value that Intellectual Property holds for your business. Of course, the level of risk of there being an issue will also play a role in determining if it is a wise investment.

If you operate in a highly technical or specialised area you may feel that you would benefit from the protection IP LEI provides. Similarly, if your market is highly competitive and IP plays a significant role in terms of competitive advantage, again it might be a good idea to have this enhanced protection.

As well as providing actual protection and financial support if the worst was to happen, it can also act as a deterrent. Weak claims that may not result in any legal action but could take time and effort to defend are more likely to go away if you have the insurance behind you to take robust advice and action from the outset. Similarly, alleged infringers are more likely to mediate or negotiate with you if they know you have the financial backing to see a case through and fully defend it.

 

What are the costs of IP insurance?

The insurer will calculate a premium based on a range of risk factors, including in which court you would intend to enforce any IP rights in the UK. The IP Enterprise Court (IPEC) costs less to take and defend IP litigation actions than going to the high court, and LEI just covering IPEC enforcement can have a premium that is lower as a result.

If the cover does require to be higher or cover a broad geographical area, then premiums are likely to be higher, but as with all insurance, it is worth being realistic on the level of cover you will require dependant on the circumstances.

 

Is litigation my only option for resolving an IP dispute?

Although LEI provides a comprehensive safeguard, there are other, cheaper options that you can also consider as a way to resolve an IP dispute.

Obtaining an option from the UK IP Office is one way. Although not a legal decision is it an informed and professional opinion from a senior examiner which can help steer the case one way or another, and help you decide whether it is better to negotiate a settlement or proceed with IP litigation.

Mediation is another route and one which the courts would have expected to have been attempted prior to starting legal proceedings. This often results in reasonable outcomes for all parties though will likely involve a compromise from both sides.

 

How do I find out if IP insurance is appropriate for me?

The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) also provide a list of companies that offer IP insurance products.

Further information about IP legal expenses insurance can be found at the UK Intellectual Property Office: Intellectual property insurance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you have invested in protecting your IP, then you will likely already have a patent or trade mark attorney who you work with, so they would be your first point of contact. Our expert patent and trade mark attorneys are also happy to help, you can get in touch at hello@two-ip.com

What lawn bowls can teach business on the CoffeeCast podcast. 

Lawn bowls and business might not seem like a natural pairing, but this combination was the topic of discussion on this episode of the CoffeeCast podcast.

Co-founder of Two IP, (and Bowls England Senior Independent Director) Anna Molony and Doug McPherson from Size 10 1/2 Boots discuss the importance of team communication in bowls and what business can learn from the sport.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Then watch England’s international bowlers in action and see how an elite team communicates to win a gold medal: 

Watch on iPlayer here (zip forward to 3 hours 30 into the program to find the start of Men’s Triples Gold medal match, England v Australia)

And if all this inspires you to try out lawn bowls yourself (or as a team building session) why not book a Bowls Bash session? It is an exciting, short form of lawn bowls for new players, that is really easy and fun for all ages and abilities. Find out more about Bowls Bash at Bowls Bash – Bowls England

Find a club and book a Bowls Bash session at www.play-bowls.com

A report on the CIPA webinar – Attracting and retaining staff in a post-pandemic era.  

CIPA recently held a webinar panel discussion about the challenges of attracting and retaining staff in a post pandemic era. This article summarises the points that were discussed and what it might mean for employers and employees looking for different options.

As approaches to our working lives have changed and continue to change, it is timely for the profession to explore current viewpoints, experiences, and opinions about what people are looking for in their working life and what that means for firms looking to attract and keep good people.

The panel on this webinar consisted of a range of experts from different perspectives able to share the feedback and conversations they have had with IP professionals over the past 18 months.

Demand for talent is high

Richard Lucas from Streamline IP who chaired the session provided both statistical and anecdotal evidence that patent and trade mark firms have continued to grow, and that the IP market is buoyant. This means that IP professionals have a lot of choice when it comes to who they work for. This has been exaggerated by firms resisting recruitment, or in some cases making cuts, during the pandemic. Now that the situation is more settled, and firms are recruiting again, this has created an increased demand for talent.

The outcome is that people who may have been stressed and overworked whilst firms were holding back recruitment are now seeing new and potentially more attractive options elsewhere. For firms such as Two IP, this provides an opportunity to offer the work life balance so many high performers in the profession crave.

Connection is key for both retention and development of future talent

Clare Tanner from Gill Jennings & Every was able to share her HR perspective and how recruitment and talent development has changed. She has found that things that were previously taken for granted now need much more attention and thought. Creating opportunities for informal connection and continuous learning being good examples. Specific initiatives have been developed to help people stay connected as working patterns have changed but it is a constant loop of learning and asking for feedback.

Nash Inam who works in-house at Ocado felt that there may be a risk that these informal connection points and learning opportunities will affect trainees more. If senior colleagues choose to spend more time working from home, the more junior team members may miss out on informal learning opportunities. Employers therefore need to plan how they work thoughtfully, which is difficult when everyone has different requirements and desires from their working life.

For experienced attorneys this may offer a frustrating conflict. They would prefer to continue to work from home but the needs of the wider firm, for example to support trainees or building internal relationships, means they are required in the office. Fully remote teams such as Two IP have stripped that away allowing senior level attorneys to build a working pattern that works for them whilst still providing the social connection through the firm’s wider ecosystem.

The candidate driven market is real.

Catherine French from Sacco Mann recruitment confirmed that the market for talent has shifted significantly over the pandemic and has still not settled into a firm position. The wide introduction of hybrid working has brought more movement and change with people reconsidering what is important to them. This movement and revaluation isn’t restricted to particular groups either. Although it is widely understood changes in working patterns generally impacted women more, Catherine has found that new ways of working and making positive changes more permanent is being considered across all demographics.

This approach has also opened up the desire for working from anywhere. The possibilities of attorneys wanting to work from other countries was discussed and Chris Braganza from Sheridans pointed out examples of where this could create complexity and risk for some firms and that this would need to be carefully considered before being offered. For firms like Two IP however, this possibility is baked into the model as we recognise the attraction of that level of flexibility.

Employees want a reason to come into the office.

Clare’s advice for firms moving to a more hybrid model is to ensure that people have a reason to come into the office. Make it an environment that people want to be part of and create specific interventions such as training and social occasions so that people feel part of a wider culture.

People have now experienced both the personal and productivity benefits of working from home, so the office needs to offer something over and above a working space.

Nash has found that in his role, he uses the time in the office to speak to engineers and spend time with them understanding their developments, so he is fully informed on how to support them. For people in private practice, aspects such as training, socials and relationship building are all important reasons to get people together. For some this is an important part of their working life, and they appreciate the opportunity to be involved with the company on a wider level.

For others though, they prefer a working arrangement that allows them to simply focus on their client work and spend the rest of their week pursuing hobbies or spending time with the family.

As with a lot of the discussion on this panel, it will vary between individuals and so people are now able to choose the arrangement and therefore the employer that best fits with their preferences.

Where does Two IP fit in?

Overall, this discussion highlighted the challenges that face firms in providing working models and arrangements that will suit a wide variety of desires and expectations. The new consultancy model that Two IP operates provides an alternative option for attorneys looking to work fully remotely (wherever that might be), with full flexibility and control in their working life. If this is something that appeals to you, then you can find out more about how our model works here

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Strategic ambitions for the IPO published  

Sustainability, efficiency and creating a world-leading IP office all feature in the priorities for the UK  Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) in its recently published strategic direction.  

The UK IPO plays a critical role at the centre of the IP ecosystem, and they are central to the UK maintaining its position as a world-leading IP environment. 

In order to deliver on this, it has recently published updated information on its refreshed corporate strategy to 2026 and its strategic priorities for 2022-2023. 

The overall strategic ambition for the IPO is still to ensure that it supports and encourages researchers, inventors, creators, businesses, and organisations to pursue innovation.  

The updated strategy discusses how it will deliver on this ambition with three main aims: 

  1. Deliver excellent IP services 
  1. Create a world-leading IP environment 
  1. Make the IPO a brilliant place to work 

These ambitions are underpinned by the IPO’s principles which are to “support our people, focus on customers and strive for efficiency.” 

Within the detail of the priorities are clear areas of focus for the IPO in the short and medium-term.  

Delivering on the ongoing transformation programme will see the IPO build a more user-friendly and digital service supporting the delivery of its customer service standards 

The IP environment in the UK will continue to be modernised to keep up with society and digital changes whilst increasing the level of awareness and education about IP and its potential for impact. The approach described in the Counter-Infringement Strategy will be further embedded as well as the development of an intelligence centre of excellence.  

The UK’s position both with the EU and internationally will continue to be strengthened via free trade agreements and the promotion of the international IP business support service.   

Within the IPO itself, the focus will be on sustainability namely the development of a carbon net-zero strategy and how, as a workplace, the IPO can support its people to thrive both now and in the future.  

In summary, these updated priorities help to provide a direction of travel for the IPO and how it is supporting the wider industry to continue to invest and benefit from innovation and new technological developments.  

 

The Unitary Patent – introducing the new patent game in town 

It is possible to obtain an EU Trade Mark and an EU Registered Design both of which are a single right which provides protection for owners against infringement anywhere in the EU.   

For over 50 years, the EU has been trying to establish an equivalent EU patent. However, political agreement between all of the EU member states has proved impossible. Rather than give up, the EU member states who want an EU patent have come together and created a compromise, a half-way house if you will, called the Unitary Patent. This new patent is called a Unitary Patent rather than an EU patent as it will only cover a subset of the member states of the EU.  

The UK had been involved in developing the Unitary Patent, but following Brexit the UK is no longer able to join the Unitary Patent system. UK based applicants will however be able to obtain a Unitary Patent. 

 The Unitary Patent will exist alongside a European Patent as something related but entirely different at the same time.  The current European Patent system is a system for examining and granting patent applications at the European Patent Office (EPO). Once granted, a European Patent becomes a bundle of national patents in countries that are contracting states of the European Patent Convention (EPC); these include both EU member states and non-EU countries including UK, Switzerland, Iceland, Turkey and Norway. Currently, if an applicant wants their European Patent to cover all of these countries, they are required to complete formalities (validation) in each country, which at the very least requires paying an annual renewal fee to the local patent office in each country. So, under the current European Patent system, if you want your European Patent to cover all of the EU member states this means validating the patent in 27 countries and then payment of annual renewal fees to 27 separate patent offices. 

With the new Unitary Patent system, an applicant will have the choice at the end of the European Patent application process to either turn it into a Unitary Patent (with a single renewal fee) or to continue as a European Patent, validating and renewing in each country that they want the patent to take effect in. 

The Unitary Patent is expected to start toward the end of 2022 and will initially commence with approximately 17 EU countries that have ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement. These include France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands which, along with the UK, to date have been the most popular countries for validating a European Patent in. For those countries outside of the unitary patent system, there will be no change to the current European Patent validation procedures. 

For applicants who currently validate their European Patent in a large number of EU states, the new Unitary Patent system offers significant opportunities for cost savings. For applicants, who only validate their European Patent in two or three EU member states however, it may be less attractive as the renewal costs for a Unitary Patent will be higher. This is because although the Unitary Patent has a single annual renewal fee, it is set to be equivalent to the total of the annual renewal fees for the four most popular validation countries (France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands). 

The Unitary Patent is accompanied by a new court called the Unified Patent Court which we will discuss in a following post. 

The Top 100 Global Innovators

Clarivate has just published its latest annual “Top 100 Global Innovators” report, identifying the organisations that are excelling at the innovation game. It also gives some insights into the key current and emerging areas of technology.

Innovation Trends

Key trends reported include a doubling of both the number of aerospace and defence firms and the number of automotive firms within the Top 100. In aerospace, Rolls-Royce makes it into the Top 100 Global Innovators, while Ford, Volkswagen and Kia Motors are new automotive entries and Honda and Toyota make it into the Top 100 for the eleventh time.

Top Companies

Notable mentions include US chemicals and materials firm 3M, Swedish telecommunications firm Ericsson and Japanese electronics and computing equipment firm Sony.  

Top Countries

The report gives us a view of innovation across the globe and shows the countries and regions where innovation continues to thrive. Japan has the largest number of firms with the Top 100 from a single country, with thirty-five. The UK has two new entries on the list with industrial systems firm CNH Industrial and, as previously mentioned, aerospace and defence firm Rolls-Royce. The US has 18 firms included on the list. This is down from last year’s report but the evaluation methodology used by Clarivate has changed for 2022, so it will be interesting to see how the numbers play out next year. Energy firm Saudi Aramco has become the first ever entry from the Middle East region signalling an increase in geographical diversity of innovation activity.

Top Technology Areas

The electronics and computing equipment sector leads the way in terms of number of firms, with  twenty-eight firms in this industry sector making into the Top 100. The sector with second highest number of firms in the Top 100 is automotive, with twelve firms listed, closely followed in third place by the chemicals and materials sector with ten firms. So the electronics and computing equipment sector continues to dominate global innovation activity.

Predictions for the Future

Using their data, Clarivate present us with a forecast for the increase or decrease in performance of technological areas for the future. Industrial systems and Telecommunications are predicted to have significant increases in a matter of a few years. In our view, this will be driven by the implementation of Industry 4.0 and the continuing roll out of 5G telecoms networks. We can expect to see remote controlled factories and driverless vehicles which is made possible by the swift speeds of the 5G network. With this new technology being integrated, firms will be able to revolutionize the way they manufacture, enhance and deliver their products.

 

You can read the full Clarivate “Top 100 Global Innovators” report here.