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Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Community Patent

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 January 2015

Jérôme Danguy  and
Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie
Jérôme Danguy
Affiliation:
Université libre de Bruxelles (Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, ECARES), FNRS Research Fellow
Bruno van Pottelsberghe de la Potterie
Affiliation:
Université libre de Bruxelles (Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, ECARES, DULBEA and CEB), Bruegel Senior Fellow
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Abstract

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For more than 40 years, governments and professional associations have acted, voted or lobbied against the implementation of the Community Patent (COMPAT, officially called the EU Patent). The econometric results and simulations presented in this paper suggest that, thanks to its attractiveness in terms of market size and a sound renewal fee structure, the COMPAT would drastically reduce the relative patenting costs for applicants while generating more income for the European Patent Office and most National Patent Offices. The loss of economic rents (€400 million would be lost by patent attorneys, translators and lawyers) and the drop of controlling power by national patent offices elucidate further the observed resistance to the Community Patent.

Keywords

patent systemscommunity patentpatenting costrenewal feesmaintenance rate
Type
Article
Information
Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , 25 April 2011 , pp. 1 - 43
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis 2011

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