During the EU Patent Conference in Brussels, Belgian Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne praised ACT Chairman Mike Sax, highlighting Mike’s decision to relocate to the United States in search of better intellectual property protections. As an entrepreneur and software developer born in Belgium, Mike was concerned that the patchwork of patent laws in Europe would not afford him the security to innovate in his home continent without fear of IP theft. He moved to the U.S. where patent laws are stronger and more evenly adjudicated.
Minister van Quickenborne, who likes to be called Minister Q, cited Mike’s experience as a great example why the European patent system needs reform. The European Patent Office is considering a unified patent that would harmonize patents throughout the continent, eliminating considerable legal uncertainty while making them cheaper for entrepreneurs. Currently, costs to get a patent are far greater in Europe than in the United States. Complicating the issue is the requirement that patents be registered in a wide range of European languages, adding the cost of multiple translators to the expense of the filing.
Minister Q supports the European patent proposal that would eliminate much of these difficulties. In the video below, he describes the dilemma Mike faced in detail in the context of future reform.
Don’t be put off by the French spoken at the beginning. After an short introduction in French, Minister Q speaks entirely in English.