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Article: PATENTS : EP'S STOA REPORT WARNS OF DANGEROUS TRENDS.(Scientific Technology Options Assessment )
- Article from:
- European Report
- Article date:
- June 18, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Europolitics. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The European Parliament's Scientific Technology Options Assessment (STOA) panel warned of global patent trends threatening both the quality of European patents and innovation. STOA's final draft on Policy Options for the Improvement of the European Patent System, presented at a seminar in the Parliament on 14 June, noted a general increase in the number of patents worldwide. At the European Patent Office, STOA pointed to an increased work load of over 47% in 2005, compared to 2000. The STOA panel concluded that the worldwide increase in patent applications, and the resulting growth in the number of patents granted, is "dampening" the incentive to innovate.
"Costs ...