BP/G Radio Intellectual Property Podcast

Guest:  Bjorn Andersson, Strom & Gullikson

Patents, or patent procedures, need to be reformed (like a bad child?). At least some people think so. The U.S. Congress is debating various proposals that would, among other things, modify reasonable royalty and willful infringement analyses and let the USPTO set its own fees.  Meanwhile USPTO Director David Kappos is working mightily to unblock the patent backlog.  So what's going in Europe?  The European Patent Office (EPO) is working to "Raise the Bar" for patent quality and prosecution.  Specifically, the EPO has been acting to limit the number of patent claims prosecuted and divisional applications filed.  These seem procedural, but if process ultimately prevents you from getting full scope of patent protection, that's substantive. 

We were fortunate to have Bjorn Andersson, Senior Patent Attorney of Swedish patent firm Strom & Gullikson in our offices for a brief chat.  Bjorn, with S&G CEO Lars Schonbeck in tow, helped us dig in on the EPO reform efforts and figure out the big changes - some of which are going into effect next month.  Along for the ride was fellow M&G lawyer, Dennis Daley with practical thoughts on impact on US patent filers.  Give a listen and see whether the EPO can win the race for patent reform.

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