ACT has been a leading proponent of legislation that helps protect manufacturers from companies who use stolen software to compete unfairly. These are known broadly as unfair competition or unfair trade practices laws. These laws empower manufacturers to seek damages against foreign competitors that use unlicensed, or pirated, products in [...]
I see articles on the patent system nearly every day. Some are well-reasoned discussions about how patents and innovation intersect, some discuss issues the tech industry faces from poor quality patents, and others are simply rants by those claiming their industry would fare better outside the patent system. Most days [...]
As part of the Single Market Act, the European Commission presented today a package of proposals for unitary patent protection within the EU. Commission figures show that the proposed system will reduce the cost of patents in Europe by up to 80%. These are very significant savings, particularly for small [...]
Editorial published at EUObserver. Contrary to what one might think, the idea of an EU patent is not the latest fashion. Negotiations started in the glorious 1970s, when we all wore flare jeans and platform shoes; the EU was still called the EEC and agreements were possible with only nine [...]
The European Parliament gave its consent on Tuesday for a common EU patent system using a seldom-used political procedure called enhanced cooperation to break 40 years of deadlock on the issue. Last December, twelve member states made a request to launch such a procedure after it was concluded that all [...]