This paper argues that the consequences of the ‘fragmentation’ of the European patent system are more dramatic than the mere prohibitive costs of maintaining a patent in force in many jurisdictions. First, detailed analysis of judicial systems in several European countries and four case...

This paper analyses the consequences for the European Patent System (EPS) of the recently ratified London Agreement (LA), which aims to reduce the translation requirements for patent validation procedures in 15 out of 34 national patent offices. The simulations suggest that the cost of patenting...

This paper first describes the so-called patent backlogs and assesses the extent to which they might affect the examination process in major patent offices. Second it puts forward that the root causes of these backlogs in Europe and in the US are different. The backlog at the United States...