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leconomiste.com
L’UE face au fléau des «chasseurs de brevets»
Some companies are worried about the spread of the patent troll phenomenon in Europe. Some have even sent a letter to Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for Industry, calling for a “balanced approach to intellectual property and measures against non-practicing entities (NPE): legal person with no activity known as Patent Troll”.
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Other press coverage
IP2Innovate welcomes the call by CDU/CSU to introduce a proportionality test in the German Patent Act to better protect innovators against patent trolls
In a recent the German Conservatives (CDU/CSU) Elisabeth Winkelmeier-Becker and Ingmar Jung express concerns over abusive litigation practices by patent trolls, which distort the market and undermine Germany’s attractiveness as a business location. They note that in light of the high complexity of modern products, companies can no longer completely rule out the possibility of patent infringements. In this context, an unlimited right to injunctive relief create unwarranted leverage for patent trolls who buy up patents only to assert them against companies and extract disproportionately high settlements. Solutions proposed by CDU/CSU are the introduction of a proportionality test in the German Patent Act as well as a synchronisation of infringement and nullity proceedings.
The Wall Street Journal
A Push to End Germany’s Status as ‘Paradise for Patent Trolls’
Apple and Nvidia have joined German companies advocating for legislation to make the country a less attractive destination for NPEs.
Patrick Oliver
New report: Europe faces a growing problem of firms abusing the patent system for financial gain
A published today gives unique insight into how some non-practising entities (NPEs), also known as patent asserting entities (PAEs) or patent trolls, game Europe’s patent system. The report also provides further evidence that the problem of patent trolls is migrating to Europe from the US, and it proposes several policy responses to address the problem.