Policy Observatory

Austrian Patent Law accepts the ownership of patents (and other IP rights) of several natural and/or legal persons as co-owners principally but refers to general civil law all questions concerning the rights of the individual owners with regard to the other co-owners.

On the 2nd of December, the European Patent Office employees took to the streets of Munich to express their extreme anxiety and disquiet at the state of governance of the office that, if things go according to plan, will soon be responsible for administering the unitary patent system that will provide patent protection across almost all of the European Union's Member States. More unrest and anxiety is building up regarding the running of the European Patent Office, its staff relations, finances and other issues.

Although there was a small decline in litigation in 2014, patent trolling exploded over the past decade and remains at historically high levels. This litigation is overwhelmingly a tax on innovation and does nothing to promote the deployment of new technology.

Congress should not be misled into thinking that problems with the patent system have gone away. With trolls going strong, we still need legislative patent reform. Earlier this month, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, reintroduced the Innovation Act. While it won’t solve all problems with the patent system, the bill includes a number of provisions designed to make litigation abuse more difficult.

The "Defend Innovation" whitepaper is the culmination of two-and-a-half years worth of research, drawing from the stories, expertise, and ideas of more than 16,500 people who agree that the current patent system is broken. Split into two parts, the report covers both the challenges facing innovators under the current patent regime, as well as concrete measures that policymakers must take in the coming year.