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Case Law Clarity

Visitors to the V.O. website may already have noticed that it has recently been expanded with a new section: Case Law Clarity. With this addition, the website responds to the growing need for clear and consistent explanations of complex legal developments in patent law.

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Protecting AI: which part can IP really cover?

Copyright protects how software is written. Trade secrets protect what stays hidden. Neither protects what usually matters most, what the software actually does. That is the gap patents are built to fill, and the European rules for filling it are more workable than their reputation suggests.

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V.O. joins forces with leading European IP firms to form a new European IP group

We are proud to announce the formation of a new European intellectual property group together with De Vries & Metman​​Ström & Gulliksson​ and ​Knijff Trademark Attorneys​. The new group brings together four leading Tier-1 IP firms to become the leading IP firm in Europe. The initiative is driven by a shared vision: combining the strengths of independent, partner-led firms while preserving the local expertise, entrepreneurial culture and personal relationships that clients value.

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Revision of the Dutch Patent Act: from registration patent to examined patent

Earlier this year, the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom approved a proposal to modernize the Dutch Patent Act (Rijksoctrooiwet). The legislative proposal is currently with the Council of State for advisory review and will subsequently be discussed in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The proposed changes may affect your patent strategy. In this article, we explain the key changes and what they could mean for you.

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Trade secrets: the importance of discretion

Annelies de Bosch Kemper-de Hilster, Head of Legal at V.O., explains why trade secrets play an important role within organizations.

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TU Delft Impact Contest 2026

On Thursday 4 June, the exciting finale of the TU Delft Impact Contest took place, an event that V.O. sponsors every year. The firm serves as a judge in the 'Ideation' category. In addition, Henri van Kalkeren presented the V.O. Patents & Trademarks Award to Biodetect Diapers.

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Why every engineer should know something about patents

A flood of new patents is setting Europe in motion. The European Patent Office (EPO) recently reported a record number of patent applications last year: 201,974. This increase is no coincidence, but the direct result of the rise of technologies such as quantum computing and AI. In a rapidly changing world, attention to intellectual property is an absolute necessity.

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Award from Managing IP

On 1 May 1, the British magazine Managing IP once again presented its annual awards in London to IP firms worldwide for their achievements in the field of intellectual property.

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Herman Witmans and Leo Jessen retire from V.O.

Today, partners Herman Witmans and Leo Jessen retire. This marks the end of impressive careers in which they dedicated themselves with great commitment for 36 and 34 years respectively to clients, colleagues, and the development of the patent attorney profession.

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A new direction for AI patents in the US

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the driving force behind innovation in countless sectors. But how do you protect these breakthroughs? This issue can be particularly complex in the United States.

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