The Asian patent dispute endanger the German economy

Right comment to industry 4.0 The Asian patent dispute endanger the German economy

German companies are increasingly depending on Asian players threatening, especially when it comes to patents to industry 4.0. Therefore, concepts for the availability of patent-protected technologies is urgently needed.

Germany is regarded as the originator of the term “industry 4.0”, however, while the technological development the fourth industrial Revolution (4IR) picks up momentum, fall back, German companies and research institutes are increasingly. This was the result of a recently published study by the European patent office.

Therefore, only 2.051 come from the nearly 40,000 in the year 2018, worldwide patent families to technologies such as Internet of things, Big Data, AI, and 5G from Germany. This is almost a third from Europe, but worldwide, it is only enough for 5th place behind the USA (11.927), Japan (6,679 thousand), China (6.307) and South Korea (4.370). And Germany’s Position is weaker, because with an average of 14.9 percent growth per year, a Trend that could have exacerbated it, with the exception of Japan is also far behind these countries, when you consider that patent applications are only made after 18 months available to the Public.

Matthias Rößler, patent attorney and co-founder of plaid IP

“The fact that Germany in patent applications for the technologies of the future that is problematic, as the leading 4IR-innovators in the data-driven economy can push up of their stamp,” explains Matthias Rößler, patent attorney and co-founder of diamonds IP. What this means in concrete terms, showing, for example, in the patent dispute between Nokia and Daimler, which have the Potential, the existing supply to influence the chains of the entire German automotive industry. Because German suppliers should be forced to lack of own developments, not only to meet the license requirements of the Nokia and other patent holders, you’d have to find other ways, this cost disadvantage. It is also a joint effort between OEM and suppliers seems to be necessary, if should be avoided that German providers withdraw completely from the car’s telematics and the field suppliers such as Huawei, Samsung, and LG with their own 5G-patents left.

Other sectors of the economy could in the future increasingly dependent on foreign patent holders. Besides the automotive sector, 4IR innovations found in the last few years, namely strengthened in IoT industries such as energy, health, mechanical engineering, and especially intelligent consumer goods in the areas of Wearables, entertainment, toys and textiles.

“Of course, by 4IR caused the break is also in these sectors, actors with immense challenges,” says Rößler. It is therefore all the more important now at an early stage appropriate concepts for the availability of patent-protected technologies – such as patent pools, patent auctions and licensing programs, as well as, where appropriate, on strategic business alliances. These concepts would of course need to also include the high level of data protection in Europe, to the abuse of tire preference. Here is the policy, the courts, and ultimately the companies themselves have a responsibility.

Ultimately, it would be economical, especially for Europe, is fatal, if the corresponding concepts would not be implemented. So current estimates of the European Commission state that the use of 4IR-technologies could increase in the automation of business processes in the EU alone, the GDP in 2030 by an additional 2.2 trillion Euro, which would correspond to a growth of 14.1% to 2017.

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