Insights

Brussels – June 30, 2026: Managing Intellectual Property has recognized seven attorneys in Belgium and four in the United Kingdom, plus five practice areas — including a first-time ranking in Trademark Prosecution in Belgium — in its 2026 IP Stars guide. The guide "covers a variety of IP practice areas and more than 80 jurisdictions, making it the most comprehensive and widely respected IP practitioner guide in the legal profession." 

Chicago – June 2, 2026: Intellectual Asset Management recognized Crowell & Moring in its IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners guide, awarding a gold band ranking for patent litigation and transactions in Belgium, a silver band ranking for patent litigation and recommended for patent prosecution in Illinois, and a bronze band ranking for patent prosecution in the United Kingdom: England and Wales. The firm was also recommended nationally in the United States for trade secrets litigation.

London – October 14, 2025: Crowell & Moring U.K. LLP has been recommended in five practice areas in the Legal 500 United Kingdom 2026.

We are pleased to announce that Crowell & Moring and Crowell GovCon Strategies will be exhibiting at Farnborough International Airshow (FIA 2026), one of the world's premier aerospace, defence and space events. FIA is where the aerospace, defence and space industry comes together. It is where deals are made, partnerships are formed, and the future direction of the sector takes shape. For businesses operating in this environment, navigating complex regulation, competing for government contracts, protecting critical intellectual property and managing international trade across multiple jurisdictions demands the right legal and strategic counsel.

[1] In a recent development, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are not excluded from patentability due to being a computer program “as such.” In doing so, the Court set out the framework of a new test for the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to use when evaluating the patentability of computer. The ruling breaks down barriers to the patenting of AI algorithms in the UK and paves the way for a wider change in the UK IPO’s approach to assessing excluded subject matter.

On November 4, 2025, the USPTO in Ex parte Desjardins designated as precedential an earlier Appeals Review Panel (ARP) decision overruling the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (Board), instead holding that claims directed to training a machine learning model are patent-eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101 when they integrate a mathematical concept into a practical application that improves how the model operates. That precedential designation represents a material shift in legal precedent in the § 101 arena post-Alice, and it has already driven updates to the MPEP and examiner practice. As a result, Desjardins signals an adjustment in practice in favor of AI and software eligibility at the USPTO.