Using quantum computing as an example, Papula-Nevinpat’s European patent attorney Matti Brax takes us through the ins and outs of patenting cutting-edge technology.
Patenting high-tech discoveries and inventions is where science meets business. It’s an area that can be tough to navigate, as the prior-art landscape – against which patent applications are typically drafted and evaluated – may be patchy and not well organized. The field is further complicated by the fact that intellectual property in ground-breaking technical disciplines often extends across more than one industry.
“There must be some kind of causal relation between science and economics for it to be worthwhile to generate a patent,” says Brax, who was been in the business since 1995. “Some fields of science don’t take off commercially, but there is significant patent activity in those fields with potential for a disruptive effect and scalability. Quantum computing is one of these fields.” Read more