Reduce the term for non-biotech patents
Biotech requires a long patent period to account for the time to get to market-- outside of biotech (read: software) reduce the patent term.
Yes, there's also the idea of ending "software" patents and "business method" patents, but these solutions have obvious flaws because clever patent filers (and their attorneys) can convert software patents into hardware patents by adding a computer or chip. I know this personally, having filed 20 patents and gotten a half dozen issued.
Please vote on the idea of shortened patent term lengths outside of biotech or other fields with long times to market-- not on the specific lengths.
anonymous
shared this idea
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badger
commented
Better suggestion: eliminate software patents and any patents which effectively monopolize scientific knowledge. Yes, this would probably invalidate a ton of biotech patents, but science and society would be better off, and profiteers would have to find something other to do than whine about "time to market" concerns.
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pmocek
commented
see also: "Adopt EFF's Innovation Agenda" <http://obamacto.uservoice.com/pages/general/suggestions/71893> - their agenda includes reforming the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)