Rethinking Patents
Rethinking patents panel debated current issues of charging the patent pending process so the current backlog of 1 million patents in the US can be dealt with before the technology being applied for becomes obliterated by the time the patent is granted.
One of the issues of discussion for changing the process was requiring the applier of the patent to do much of the patent agents work and that applying for a patent today is too easy. The impact of making the applying process harder for entrepreneurs could decrease the level of innovation at a grass root level, leaving only the big corporations to have enough skill and funds to patent inventions.
A compromise dealing with the massive backlogging at the patent office and still keep the ease of applying is currently being researched in two pilot projects, Peer-to-Patent and Community Patent, where patent agents utilize the collective brain power of communities and establishing a peer review type pending process.
The The Peer To Patent Project is a US project and the The Community Patent Project is the EU equavalent and both very exciting projects to fellow.
