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Implementers praise German patent reforms

Implementers have welcomed reforms to Germany’s laws which weaken patent owners’ right to an injunction if successful in litigation, but their impact on case law remains to be seen. “This principle is a basic tenet of German legal philosophy, meaning any sanction must be proportionate to the offence committed. But patent law was essentially exempt from that,” Ludwig von Reiche,IP2Innovate's board member, told WIPR. “We expect courts to have to consider it if it is pleaded. It will most likely be pleaded in many cases and case law needs to be established,” added von Reiche. 

 

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IP2I welcomes the European Parliament's formal request, adopted today, calling on the Commission to investigate the practices of patent assertion entities in Europe.

Brussels, 11 November 2021 – The European Parliament has instructed the European Commission to investigate in-depth how PAEs, also known as non-practising entities, or more colloquially patent trolls, game the European patent system.

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.
Patrick Oliver

Statement welcoming EP report on AI and IPR

IP2Innovate welcomes an own initiative report by the European Parliament adopted today which urges policymakers to safeguard the European patents system from abuse.
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