From ProTon Europe, 9/5/07: While we rush to change U.S. patent system, others want to make the systems of other countries more like ours. This piece is from Technology Transfer Tactics: ProTon Europe pushes for rapid change to EC patent system
ProTon Europe, an influential consortium dedicated to improving knowledge transfer among EC members, is recommending rapid and significant change to the European patent system. The recommendations are designed to correct what the group calls
“shortcomings” in the current system that have led to “relatively lower performance of European universities and research organisations in converting discoveries into innovation, when compared to the USA.”
ProTon officials are holding a press conference in Brussels today to announce their recommendations, which are being delivered to EC officials and members of the European Parliament prior to a major review of the current patent process scheduled to occur in 2008. The ProTon document, supported by UK-Ireland knowledge transfer association AURIL, contains eight major recommendations which the group believes will “have a significant effect on the quality and number of patent applications filed by universities in Europe.” Specifically, ProTon recommends:
* Educate European stakeholders on the importance of increased patent activity and system reform, citing the U.S. model for facilitating huge gains in economic competitiveness. “There is no question that U.S. universities could not have achieved the reported benefits for the U.S. economy in terms of new products, new companies, and new jobs with the patent system available in Europe,” the document states.
* Rapidly adopt the “London Protocol,” which among other provisions would eliminate current requirements for translating and “validating” patents in 31 EC member countries.
* Implement the European Patent Litigation Agreement, making patents more easily enforceable throughout Europe, and as a result more valuable.
* Drop proposals for a phased in “Community Patent” that would continue to allow use of country-specific patenting and join together under the European Patent Commission, which could make necessary changes more immediately.
* Adopt a grace period for patent protection modeled after the current U.S. system, allowing for public disclosure of research without losing patent rights.
* Adopt a provisional patent procedure.
* Reduce fees associated with patent filings for universities.
* Reduce the duplication of work between national and European patent offices using a single market approach.
For the full text of the document, go to: http://www.protoneurope.org/news
(back to Intellectual Property index)
