Workshops and reports

Leider ist diese Seite derzeit nicht in deutscher Sprache verfügbar.

Workshops / meetings
Background material and reports

Recommendations for improving the patent system
2012 statement by the ESAB

In its first year, the ESAB has contributed to the broad debate on the economic and social effects of the patent system. Based on the main findings from the Board's 2012 activites, the members of the ESAB come up with a number of recommendations to address the important challenges facing the patent system. More information will be available shortly.

2012 statement by the ESAB (PDF, 671 KB)

News

Patent thickets workshop
26.9.2012, Leuven

International patent experts met at the third workshop to improve understanding of patent thickets and to look at the phenomenon from the perspective of different industries. The expert group explored patent thickets as a part of the broader discussion related to the management of innovation and technological complexity. Possible solutions focused on regulatory measures to improve patent quality, the speed of examination procedures and pricing aspects. Market-based solutions were also discussed.

Workshop programme: patent thickets (PDF, 1.9 MB)

Workshop summary: patent thickets (PDF, 947 KB) 

News

Fees workshop
8.5.2012, Munich

Participants at the second workshop discussed whether reduced fees or subsidies would have a positive effect on innovation support, bearing in mind that patent office fees were already considered relatively low compared with other costs, such as attorneys' fees, translations and national validations.

Patent quality workshop
7.5.2012, Munich

Some 40 economists, lawyers, patent practitioners, licensing experts and university researchers from Europe, the USA and Asia met to discuss what 'patent quality' means to different stakeholders. A number of proposals on topics such as prior art search, international harmonisation and collaboration were put forward and discussed.

Inaugural meeting
23.1.2012, Munich

The ESAB nominated Professor Dietmar Harhoff of Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) as its chairman. The members decided to explore the issues of 'patent quality', 'pricing and fees' and 'patent thickets' in a series of workshops with stakeholders and users of the patent system and other expert organisations, and to commission new research where appropriate.
Press release

Quick Navigation