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(Related pages on {{SITENAME}}: ** Controllable forces of nature - a test, based on German rulings)
(External links: * [http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/information/news/german-parliament-prohibits-patents-plants-and-animals-conventional-breeding German Parliament prohibits patents on plants and animals from conventional breeding], 27 June 2013)
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:''May 2013: see [[German parliament petition against software patents]]''
 
'''Germany''' is part of the [[European Union]], is a signatory of the [[European Patent Convention]], and has significant [[case law in Germany|case law]] regarding [[software patents]].
 
'''Germany''' is part of the [[European Union]], is a signatory of the [[European Patent Convention]], and has significant [[case law in Germany|case law]] regarding [[software patents]].
  
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* [http://www.eplawpatentblog.com/eplaw/2010/10/de-covenant-not-to-sue.html Covenant not to sue <nowiki>[in German law]</nowiki>], 6 Oct 2010, '''EPLAW patent blog'''
 
* [http://www.eplawpatentblog.com/eplaw/2010/10/de-covenant-not-to-sue.html Covenant not to sue <nowiki>[in German law]</nowiki>], 6 Oct 2010, '''EPLAW patent blog'''
 
** Which discusses {{translate de|url=http://volltextservice.luchterhand.de/display.php?volltextid=4K481004|title=German court ruling "7 O 145/09" on the difference between a "covenant not to sue" and a "licence"}}
 
** Which discusses {{translate de|url=http://volltextservice.luchterhand.de/display.php?volltextid=4K481004|title=German court ruling "7 O 145/09" on the difference between a "covenant not to sue" and a "licence"}}
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* [http://www.bundeskartellamt.de/wEnglisch/News/press/2011_04_20.php Bundeskartellamt clears CPTN joint venture for acquisition of Novell patents], 20 Apr 2011, '''Federal Cartel Office'''
 
* {{translate de|url=http://www.ipwiki.de/patentrecht:softwarepatente|title=ipwiki.de/patentrecht:softwarepatente}}
 
* {{translate de|url=http://www.ipwiki.de/patentrecht:softwarepatente|title=ipwiki.de/patentrecht:softwarepatente}}
 
* {{translate de|url=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softwarepatent#Deutschland|title=de.wikipedia: Softwarepatent#Deutschland}}
 
* {{translate de|url=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softwarepatent#Deutschland|title=de.wikipedia: Softwarepatent#Deutschland}}
 
* {{translate de|url=http://www.swpat.info/|title=www.swpat.info}}
 
* {{translate de|url=http://www.swpat.info/|title=www.swpat.info}}
 
* {{translate de|url=http://blog.prevalent.de/?p=32|title=T-Mobile SPAM Patent ruled invalid}} - but it took five years!
 
* {{translate de|url=http://blog.prevalent.de/?p=32|title=T-Mobile SPAM Patent ruled invalid}} - but it took five years!
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* [http://www.no-patents-on-seeds.org/en/information/news/german-parliament-prohibits-patents-plants-and-animals-conventional-breeding German Parliament prohibits patents on plants and animals from conventional breeding], 27 June 2013, '''no-patents-on-seeds.org'''
  
 
===[[FFII]] pages===
 
===[[FFII]] pages===
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[[Category:Germany]]
 
[[Category:Germany]]
 
[[Category:Countries and regions]]
 
[[Category:Countries and regions]]
[[Category:Patent office practice by region]]
 
 
[[Category:EPC signatories with relevant subject matter case law|Germany, Case law in]]
 
[[Category:EPC signatories with relevant subject matter case law|Germany, Case law in]]
 
[[Category:European Union member states]]
 
[[Category:European Union member states]]
 
[[Category:European Patent Convention signatories]]
 
[[Category:European Patent Convention signatories]]

Revision as of 17:45, 1 September 2013

May 2013: see German parliament petition against software patents

Germany is part of the European Union, is a signatory of the European Patent Convention, and has significant case law regarding software patents.

Case law

(See: Case law in Germany)

Germany has a mixed history of rejecting and, more recently, upholding software patents. Germany is a signatory of the European Patent Convention, so this case law will be influential in most of Europe. In 2010, the Germany High Court (BGH) upheld a patent on an XML document formatting system (case Xa ZB 20/08) and one of Microsoft's FAT patents (case X ZR 27/07).

Legislation

Patentable subject matter is defined by the below quoted part of this law: German original: Bekanntmachung der Neufassung des Patentgesetzes, Vom 16. Dezember 1980 (English translations[?]: Google, bing translator)

(3) Als Erfindungen im Sinne des Absatzes 1 werden insbesondere nicht angesehen:

1. Entdeckungen sowie wissenschaftliche Theorien und mathematische Methoden;
2. ästhetische Formschöpfungen;
3. Pläne, Regeln und Verfahren für gedankliche Tätigkeiten, für Spiele oder für geschäftliche Tätigkeiten sowie Programme für Datenverarbeitungsanlagen;
4. die Wiedergabe von Informationen.

(4) Absatz 3 steht der Patentfähigkeit nur insoweit entgegen, als für die genannten Gegenstände oder Tätigkeiten als solche Schutz begehrt wird.

Possibly of interest is German original: German court ruling "7 O 145/09" (English translations[?]: Google, bing translator) which discusses Sec. 15 para 3 and Sec. 140a para 3 of the German Patent Act, with info related to covenants not to sue.

Related pages on ESP Wiki

External links

FFII pages