By Nathaniel DeLucia
One of the most important discussions in international and United
States law is currently underway, although most Americans probably have no idea,
that of patent law reform. Yes I know,
patent law is not nearly as sexy as “counter-terrorism” or “Ebola” (though this
does involve patent law as I will explain later). However, the recent trend to reform and unify
the world’s patent laws has the potential to have a tremendous impact on
international trade.
Last month, the world’s top IP leaders (the U.S., Japan,
Korea, China, and the EU) announced
efforts to reduce differences in patent laws.
Before we dive into current events, it’s important to get
some background information. To start, patent
law is fundamentally a matter of domestic law; each country has its own patent
laws and its own patent system. Thus, if
a company wants protection in multiple countries, they will have to file patent
applications in each relevant country.
