Roger,
I was about to add something like your
"The problem for SMEs is that they lack the cash NOW to invest in a patent
for an invention which will not give a profit for maybe several years. In
the meantime, they can be exploited by big companies which may to force
them into granting a cheap licence or selling the invention for a low
price."
In my previous message to the group.
Filing a patent is requiring from the community to be granted a market
monopoly over 20 years. Said community has an obvious interest that patents
should be granted to high value inventions. The patentee should not be able
to buy such monopoly at too low cost when markets are more and more open.
Lowering the costs of patents will never solve the problem of small
entities' inventions exploited by big companies in the conditions you
mention. The costs of patents are far behind the costs of developing and
marketing the object of a high value invention.
Therefore the problem is less the cost of the patent itself than the timing
of the expense for small entities.
Best regards
Gerard BORIN
http://www.sga2.com
-----Message d'origine-----
De: Roger Bilham [SMTP:rip@bilham.demon.co.uk]
Date: mardi 11 avril 2000 08:58
À: piug-l@derwent.tecc.co.uk
Objet: Re: How much does a patent cost?
In message <01BFA321.A5D4D3E0.gborin@sga2.com>, Grard BORIN
<gborin@sga2.com> writes
>If the total cost of a patent is EUR 15000 to 25000, this cost should be
>negligible as compared to the revenue coming from a market monopoly given
>on the invention over 20 years. If it is not negligible, then is it worth
>to grant a monopoly to such invention?
The problem for SMEs is that they lack the cash NOW to invest in a
patent for an invention which will not give a profit for maybe several
years. In the meantime, they can be exploited by big companies which may
to force them into granting a cheap licence or selling the invention for
a low price. Low cost patents will surely encourage inventive paople in
small companies to commercialise inventions of benefit to society and
Europe in particular.
Regards,
-- Roger Bilham Roger Bilham Consultancy Tel: +44 (0)20 8467 8819 Fax: +44 (0)8700 548 613 Mobile +44 (0)7 941 122 446
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