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intellectualpropertymagazine.com
Tech and auto companies urge EU to crack down on patent trolls.
Tech and auto companies including Apple, BMW, Microsoft, and Samsung have urged the European Commission to take action to stop European courts from issuing automatic injunctions in favour of so-called ‘patent trolls’.
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Wall Street Journal
Germany Shuts Door on Patent Trolls
BERLIN—Germany on Friday removed a legislative quirk that had made it a prime destination for globally active patent litigators who increasingly target fast-growing tech companies.
JUVE Patent blog
Patent law reform: Bundestag introduces principle of proportionality
After months of deliberation, the German Bundestag has finally decided on amendments to a new federal government patent law. It will introduce a proportionality test for the right to an injunction under patent law. The decision comes just a few months before Germany elects a new parliament, and a new government.
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.