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The Wall Street Journal
A Push to End Germany’s Status as ‘Paradise for Patent Trolls’
A coalition of German blue-chip firms and foreign multinationals, including big U.S. tech firms, is advocating for legislation that would lessen the country’s appeal for those seeking to assert their intellectual property. Supporters of the proposed legislation say German patent law, rooted in the 19th century, is out of date. When Carl Benz received the patent for his car in 1886, “it was one patent for one product,” said Ludwig von Reiche, managing director for Nvidia in Germany and chair of the German Working Group of IP2Innovate.
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IP2Innovate
IP2Innovate's 2nd statement on the Commission's intention to withdraw the SEP Regulation: Ahead of European Parliament’s JURI Committee hearing with EVP Stéphane Séjourné
BRUSSELS, 22 April 2025 - IP2Innovate: SEP regulation essential for European businesses' innovation and cost reduction
Ahead of European Parliament’s JURI Committee hearing with Commission's Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, IP2Innovate reiterates its strong opposition to the European Commission's intention to withdraw the SEP Regulation.
"Withdrawing the SEP Regulation now would be a grave mistake that undermines innovation, European competitiveness, and the EU legislative process itself," said Patrick Oliver, Executive Director of IP2Innovate. "The current SEP licensing environment is broken - unpredictable, fragmented, and inefficient - chilling innovation across sectors and eroding the competitiveness of entire European industries, who often face abuse by mostly non-EU entities. This situation places Europe’s supply chain security at risk and further limits the availability of innovative products and features and increases costs for European consumers."
"The Commission's claim of 'no foreseeable agreement' contradicts the facts. The European Parliament already adopted a position with overwhelming support, and the Polish Presidency has explicitly stated its readiness to resume work on the Regulation."
"Europe has become a venue where often foreign SEP holders litigate to exclude European companies from the market. The proposed Regulation brings essential transparency and fairness to a broken system."
"As we look to the future of standards, advancing - not abandoning - this Regulation is essential for Europe's technological competitiveness."
handelsblatt.com
Ministerin Lambrecht will rigider gegen „Patenttrolle“ vorgehen
Die Bundesjustizministerin will das Patentrecht modernisieren – und zwar stärker als noch in einem ersten Diskussionsentwurf angekündigt.
Managing IP
US firms prioritise Europe as UPC countdown begins
In the recent article of Managing IP, examining future enforcement of EU patent law by the Unified Patent Court (UPC), Katalin Lubóczki, coordinator of the UPC Working Group responsible for finalising the training plan for UPC judges emphasises that proportionality will be an important principle in UPC jurisprudence.