The US Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) have released a study describing the negative impact of the U.S. patent system on small businesses and innovators. Entitled Patent Reform: Protecting IP, Enabling Innovation & Bolstering Entrepreneurship, the study identifies shortcomings in the U.S. patent system and suggests substantive changes that would benefit entrepreneurs, small businesses and economy at large.
This critique of proposed changes to the US system is in contrast to the welcome given to recent changes to UK Patent law which were viewed as making the patent system clearer and more flexible for business. Changes to the European Patent Convention 2000 (EPC 2000) that ensure consistency between UK and European patent law came into force in December 2007. In addition, the London Agreement, which will enter into force on 1 May 2008, could save British business over £10 million a year as it will halve the translation costs of a typical patent granted by the European Patent Office (EPO).
