UK Patents Act 2004
--> [ UK & Swpat | Patent Insurance | Patent Defence Union | Swpat News ]
News and Chronology
Introduction, General Observations
Do not confuse with 1977 "Patent Act", which is the UK's general patent law and contains the UK implementation of the European Patent Convention.
The main aims of the 2004 "Patents Act" seem to be
- facilitation of patent enforcement
- involvement of the UK Patent Office in this work
It's clear that the Patent Defence Union seems to have got its message over quite successfully. Many !MPs now favor legislation that would subsidise aggressive patent enforcement strategies such as those of PDU founder Mitchell of Allvoice. Similar legislation was proposed by Arlene McCarthy in summer of 2003 in an attempt to sway opposition by the !MEPs to her pro-patent course and appear more SME-friendly.
Even in the new improved presentation, it's a pretty lengthy read, for not an awful lot of enlightenment, but quite revealing for some of the broader views taken by !MPs on patents (or rather: by the handful of interested !MPs).
