"Patent Attorneys – Let’s save the nation!"

"Patent Attorneys – Let’s save the nation!" -- that's the rousing World IP Day call from Michael Bates (1 Place Patent Attorneys + Solicitors, North Sydney, Australia), who explains as follows:

"As a nation we have everything – we are technologically advanced and we publish peer reviewed papers well above our weight. Who are we? We could be talking about any of the top 15 patent filing nations ... but if we are talking about Australia, we have 

1. enjoyed a relative economic boom whilst most other nations have suffered from the Global Financial Crisis, and yet 

2. slipped most severely as a patent filer per head of population.

Why? We need policy implementation that 

1. address misconceptions about the perceived value of patents; and 

2. involves the patent profession. 

This results in the Australian business community placing relatively little commercial importance on patents. How can we change this? First, there needs to be better policy consideration to improving attitudes to patent protection. Secondly, this policy consideration should take into account the role of patent attorneys. Thirdly, patent attorneys participate in policy formation: have a voice!"

Michael's further thoughts on this theme can be accessed on his own blog, here.