Microsoft: Can’t Our Patent Systems Get Along?

“Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and many other technology firms, are
frustrated with the lack of a global patent system. There are more
than 190 separate nations around the world, and the lack of a
unified patent system constitutes an important impediment to
business.

“Today, there is no standardized global system for handling
patent filings, verification, issuance, and enforcement. While work
has been going on for years among nations worldwide to “harmonize”
various nations’ patent systems, much more needs to be done, and
Microsoft is stepping up the dialogue on that.

“”Over 3.5 million patent applications are pending around the
world, including over 750,000 in the U.S. Pendency periods [the
time during which a patent is “pending”] are extending to three,
four or in some cases five years before final patents are issued,”
Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft deputy general counsel, said in a blog
post Tuesday.”

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