The semiconductor industry is one of the most R&D intensive industries where 15 to 20% of sales are spent. Most modern semiconductor products are complex devices which require a series of complicated steps to manufacture. Innovations take place over a large range of technologies, being it materials, electrical properties, electronic circuitry, manufacturing or applications. The semiconductor industry is global and highly competitive. In such an environment Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are essential to protect innovations and to ascertain that newly developed technology can be kept proprietary and, if desired, be exchanged against an appropriate compensation.
Accordingly, for the semiconductor industry it is essential that procedures for the grant and enforcement of patents are of good quality, efficient and predictive. ESIA promotes the harmonization of procedures and patentability criteria to achieve this goal and emphasizes the need for patent offices to work together to increase the quality of the patent grant procedures.
Patent system in Europe
In Europe, the patent system is fragmented and expensive. The costs for obtaining and maintaining patent coverage in some parts of Europe are much higher than in the US or China. While the European Patent Office (EPO) provides for a single, high quality, grant procedure, patent enforcement is a national matter with different procedures and requirement in each country. Effective patent enforcement in multiple countries in Europe is costly and burdensome and may lead to different outcomes in different countries. Despite that, in Europe important innovation in semiconductor R&D takes place, the fragmented, expensive and burdensome patent system has as a consequence that innovations made in Europe are often not well protected there. Products using innovations originating from Europe can be put on the market in large parts of Europe without compensation to the innovative company or research institute. ESIA believes that this harms the position of Europe as a location for innovation as well as the value of European companies (Intangible assets, a/o patent, are estimated to represent about 80% of the value of knowledge intensive companies).
ESIA considers that the procedural costs for obtaining a patent within EPO are too high and, therefore, strongly supports the idea of establishing and implementing the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Trademarks
Patent are not the only IP rights of concern to the semiconductor industry. Trademarks define the origin of a product and form the legal basis for fighting counterfeit products. ESIA supports efforts to stimulate that registered trademarks provide protection not only for literal use but also for similar use in the same field.
Counterfeits
Counterfeiting is often linked with trademark infringement. It not only erodes the economic basis of the companies that have invested in new products but also are not subject to the same quality requirements, leading to substandard products in the supply chain of our customers. ESIA believes that effective and efficient procedures to stop counterfeit products in Europe are important, but at least as important is to make arrangements with the authorities in the countries that are the source of counterfeit products to stop the manufacture and sale.
Trade Secrets
As a very knowledge intensive industry, only a small part of the technology developed is suitable to be protected by patents. Sufficient protection of trade secrets must be possible. In Europe trade secrets are governed at a national level, mainly in the area of unfair competition. ESIA feels that a uniform approach is highly desirable in which trade secrets are treated as a form of intellectual property.
Chair
Martin Heinebrodt - Robert Bosch
June 2021: Excerpt from the WSC 2021 Joint Statement on “Effective Protection of Intellectual Property”
January 2021: Executive summary of the EU Expert Group on Standard Essential Patents (SEPs)
May 2019: Excerpt from the WSC 2019 Joint Statement: “Effective Protection of Intellectual Property”
June 2018: IP2innovate Position Paper Responding to the European Commission’s IP Package
May 2018: WSC Recommendations to Patent Offices for Improving Patent Quality
May 2017: WSC Best Practices to Combat Abusive Patent Litigation
October 2016: JRC Science for Policy Report: “Patent Assertion Entities in Europe – Their impact on innovation and knowledge transfer in ICT markets”
August 2015: UPC Coalition Position Paper regarding the Public Consultation on the rules on the UPC fees & recoverable costs
May 2015: WSC Recommendations to GAMS on Abusive Patent Litigation (NPE/PAE)
March 2015: ESIA position on the EPO proposals for the maintenance fees of the Unitary Patent
March 2015: ESIA is a signatory of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Industry Coalition
July 2014: ESIA Statement on bifurcation and injunctions in the RoP of the UPC
May 2014: WSC Recommendations for Improving National Utility Model (UM) Laws
February 2014: Unified Patent Court (UPC) Industry Coalition – Open Letter
February 2014: ESIA Comments on the impact of Unified Patent Court on NPE litigation in Europe
September 2013: EPO / OHIM Analysis Report: “Intellectual property rights intensive industries: contribution to economic performance and employment in the European Union”
September 2013: Industries Open Letter on Unified Patent Court (UPC)
August 2013: U.S. Government Accountability Office Report: Intellectual Property – Assessing Factors That Affect Patent Infringement Litigation Could Help Improve Patent Quality
June 2013: Executive Office of the U.S. President: “Patent Assertion and U.S. Innovation”
September 2012: ESIA Position on Non-Practicing Entities
December 2009: JRC Report on “The Future of Semiconductor Intellectual Property Architectural Blocks in Europe”