NIPC Law

  Jane Lambert Patents Court  (HH Judge Hacon)  Autostore Technology AS v Ocado Group Plc and others [2023] EWHC 716 (Pat) (30 March 2023) This was a patent infringement action.  The claimant, AutoStore Technology AS ("AutoStore"), complained that the defendants had infringed two of its European patents.  The defendants denied infringement and challenged the validity of the patents on grounds of anticipation and obviousness .  They also sought declarations of non-infringement.  The claim and counterclaim came on for trial before His Honour Judge Hacon in March and April 2022.   He handed down judgment on 30 March 2023 (see AutoStore Technology AS v Ocado Group Plc and others [2023] EWHC 716 (Pat)). The Issues The anticipation challenge turned on whether disclosures of the invention to a prospective customer before the priority date in an email and at a presentation in Norway had been made in confidence. That in turn depended on whether Nor...