June 2001
European banks patently disadvantaged
European banks risk finding themselves
outpaced by US competitors in the bid to
protect and exploit their intellectual
property.
The great patents debate is not confined to the
pharmaceuticals and biotech sectors. Press coverage may tend to
focus on drugs and genetic patenting, but European financial
institutions are ignoring this issue at their peril. Put simply,
there is a substantial discrepancy between the way patents are
viewed, and granted, in the US and their perceived importance in
Europe. In the US, a patents culture has grown up, principally on
the back of liberal legislation and pro-patent court rulings. US
banks are increasingly adept at exploiting this at home and,
intellectual property (IP) lawyers predict that they will also do
so in overseas markets, notably Europe.
Before looking at why European banks are at risk, some explanation
of the transatlantic patents divide is required. In the US, as a
general rule, computer software and business techniques are
patentable. In Europe, again as a general rule, they are not. More
specifically, in Europe, software...
This is archived content. Your current settings does not currently allow access to the archive. To gain access visit the subscription page or call our hotline on +44 (0)207 779 8999.
If you are a trialist or subscriber, please enter your username and password at the top right-hand side of euromoney.com
Subscribers to Euromoney benefit from:
Level 1:
- Online access to the past 12 months content
- Tailored RSS news feeds direct to your desktop
- News delivered directly to your mobile device or PC
- Personalised email newsfeed of 'Top stories' and 'Breaking news'
Level 2:
- Exclusive access to euromoney.com - Read the latest issue early online, search for specific developments by region or sector, interrogate the results of Euromoney's benchmark polls, and view the archive dating back to 2000
- 12 monthly issues of Euromoney magazine
- More than 30 specialist research guides free
- The results of Euromoney’s polls and surveys
- Tailored RSS news feeds direct to your desktop
- News delivered directly to your mobile device or PC
- Personalised email newsfeed of 'Top stories' and 'Breaking news'
Click here to subscribe