Idea translated: nº 15040 of ideator El último Xel'Naga: mira "Mis favoritos"


Intelligent Patents

They say “necessity is the mother of invention”. Now that we are going through a period of financial crisis, obtaining a patent for innovations in industrial products and processes should be made easier. The industrial sector is also in crisis due to the general financial crisis, and patents are extremely expensive, especially for small and medium-sized companies. This undoubtedly puts a check on research carried out by companies, and also -why not- on research carried out by individuals. Here is the average cost of taxes until a patent is granted:


Spanish national patent without Preliminary Test = 600 €

Spanish national patent with Preliminary Test = 1,100 €

European (11 States) = 34,099 €

PCT (International phase) = 3,600 €


(http://www.proyectosfindecarrera.com/que-es-una-patente.htm)


Patents should be free of charge, or their price should at least be reduced to a symbolic fee, that anyone could afford. Their current high cost discriminates the creative potential of people without financial resources.


Who would pay for these patents? Well, since Governments have acted as father-figures for banks, financing them through the crisis, they could also accept to pay for patents, at least for those granted to smaller companies or to companies in financial trouble, as well as patents granted to citizens who lack the financial resources needed to pay for such high prices. In exchange, the legal bases for exploitation would change. Currently, these legal bases give the owner of the patent exclusivity on the exploitation of the new technology over a period of 20 years. With, however, the obligation of publishing the secrets of how the technology works, since the company is guaranteed to be the only one to benefit.


It is really quite a selfish system. Research is economically overvalued. New findings should be shared with the rest of society, even with other companies, and new technologies would make for more efficient production.


How then would the inventor's or company's researching efforts be rewarded? Innovations could be shared with other companies in exchange for a percentage of the benefit made thanks to the new technology. Meaning that if, for example, the use of a new technology involves saving on production costs, a percentage of the amount saved would go to the inventor. If it were the invention of a specific product, such as a new pharmaceutical drug, other companies could be allowed to market it in exchange for a given percentage paid to the inventor or the company owning the patent.


This would entail that:

1) The inventor can patent findings free of charge, thus encouraging research for all citizens and companies.

2) The invention is shared by all, thus modernizing production and making it more efficient.

3) Cooperation and the distribution of benefits are encouraged, and this, along with the above two points, would help in the recovery of the global financial crisis.


I'm sure many ideators in ideas4all would be interested in guaranteeing their ideas belong to them, but they would also like to see them realized and receive just payment for this.


Also, the infamous disputes between pharmaceutical companies, NGOs and the governments of developing countries would be avoided, whereas now there are cases in which the population of developing countries is agonizing from diseases that have a cure, only the company owning the patent does not authorize the production of cheaper, more accessible drugs by other companies. Patents would no longer imply exclusivity in the exploitation of inventions.


Many thanks.