Franke IP Information (German)- Patentschutz in Irland: Das Kurzzeitpatent, die Neuheitsnachweis-Falle und eine Hintertür für PCT-Anmeldungen
- Prioritätsanmeldung ohne Gebühren: Wo es geht und wie Sie den Prioritätsbeleg erhalten
- Wie viele sind „eine Vielzahl“? Die Auslegung von „Vielzahl“, „plurality“ und „複数“ in Europa, den USA und Japan
- Vom Schachbrett zum Post-Editing: Was die Automatisierungsgeschichte anderer Berufe über die Zukunft anwaltlicher Arbeit verrät
- Monatsende, Jahrestag oder etwas ganz anderes? Die Fälligkeit nationaler Jahresgebühren in den EPÜ-Staaten
- Das „schwarze Loch“: Warum der deutsche Prioritätsbeleg beim EPA ein Rechtsrisiko bleibt
- Registrierungsdruck und offene Datentore: Die fragwürdige Kommunikationspraxis der WIPO
- Patentschutz in den Niederlanden: Eintragungspatent, PCT-Lücke und eine bevorstehende Reform
- Lässt sich relevanter Stand der Technik hinter dem nächstliegenden Stand der Technik „verstecken“?
- Die stille Teuerung: Wie das EPA seine Gebühren in den letzten Jahren schrittweise vervielfacht hat
Author Archives: Dr. Dirk Franke
No Property, No Innovation: Why Socialist Patent Systems Forfeit Prosperity – The USSR, the GDR and Cuba
A patent grants its holder the right to exclude others from using an invention. At first glance this looks anti-social — yet it is one of the most effective engines of prosperity that modern economies possess. It turns an idea … Continue reading
Posted in International Law, Patent Law, Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged incentives, patent system, socialism
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Who Survives AI? Partners, Associates and Freelance Patent Attorneys in a Shifting Firm Structure
The debate about Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the patent profession usually focuses on the firm as a whole: falling drafting fees, consolidation pressure, and competition that hands the efficiency gains to clients. In our post “When the Patent Office Becomes … Continue reading
Posted in Employee, Patent Law, Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged AI, freelancer, partner, patent attorney
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When the Patent Office Costs More Than the Attorney: Two Scenarios for the Future of the IP Industry in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
The Quiet Reversal of the Cost Structure For decades, an unspoken rule of thumb governed the patent world: the office is cheap, the attorney is expensive. Anyone looking to reduce the cost of a patent filing turned the attorney screw … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, International Law, Patent Law
Tagged AI, artificial intelligence, cost reduction, IP business
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Can a Research Hub Be Rescued on Credit? Debt, Taxes and Red Tape from a Startup Perspective
A follow-up to “Is Germany Falling Behind? What 125 Years of Nobel Prizes Reveal About Its Research Landscape“ The previous article closed with a finding that can be summed up in a single sentence: Germany is not losing ground because … Continue reading
Posted in Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged debt brake, German taxes, Research landscape
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Is Germany Falling Behind? What 125 Years of Nobel Prizes Reveal About Its Standing as a Research Location
In this article we analyse the Nobel Prizes awarded in Physics and Chemistry between 1901 and 2025 for Germany, the United Kingdom, France and the USA, and place the development in the broader context of research spending, patent activity and … Continue reading
Posted in Start-up Business Consulting
Tagged IP location, Nobel Prizes, Research landscape
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Changing the Name of an IP Rights Holder or Applicant
Company names change, individuals marry, corporate structures are reorganised. Whenever the holder or applicant of an IP right is affected, the relevant register should be updated promptly. This article summarises what to bear in mind when recording a name change … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, German law, International Law, Patent Law, Trademark Law
Tagged EPO, EUIPO, GPTO, name change, transfer
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G 1/24 in Opposition Proceedings: New Lines of Attack – and How to Defend Against Them
What it is about In decision G 1/24 of 18 June 2025 (“Heated Aerosol”), the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) settled a question that had been disputed for years: patent claims must always be interpreted … Continue reading
Posted in European Law
Tagged EPC, European patent application, European patent office, G1/24, Opposition proceedings
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Can a Departing Employee Sign Away Their Invention Compensation? What German Law Actually Says
When a key employee leaves a company, a familiar request often lands on the legal team’s desk: “Let’s have them sign something confirming they have no further claims to compensation for their inventions.” It sounds tidy. It feels safe. And … Continue reading
Posted in German law, Patent Law
Tagged Act on Employees' Inventions, ArbnErfG, compensation, Invention
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The Patent Grant Procedure in Belgium
Anyone seeking protection for an invention in Belgium has two routes: a European patent designating Belgium, or a national Belgian patent. The national procedure is remarkably lean by international standards – and differs from the German or European route in … Continue reading
Posted in International Law, Patent Law
Tagged Belgian Patent, OPRI, Prosecution in Belgium
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Unitary Patent and National Patent: Does the Prohibition of Double Protection Still Apply?
With the start of the Unitary Patent system on June 1, 2023, a practical question arises for many applicants: can I hold a national German patent for the same invention alongside a European patent with unitary effect (the “Unitary Patent”) … Continue reading
Posted in European Law, German law, Patent Law
Tagged national law, UPC; Unitary Patent; Unitary Patent Court
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