This report provides a factual overview of Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) related litigation and patent enforcement activities across the European Union (EU) member states, including opposition and nullity actions filed before the European Patent Office (EPO) and Bundespatentgericht.
Studies on the activities of NPEs have been conducted in the United States. Yet, studies on NPEs in Europe have been limited, mostly using anecdotal evidence or samples of litigation data limited to specific courts or parties, without a comprehensive overview of the EU as a whole. This limited analysis has been insufficient to properly assess the phenomenon of NPE actions in Europe. In this context, Darts-ip has contributed additional, invaluable data with the most comprehensive, EU-wide report specific to NPE litigation to date. Darts-ip’s coverage of all major jurisdictions on a global scale allowed for unparalleled data gathering and analysis. IP specialists extracted, compiled and analyzed, quantitatively and qualitatively, all available information from case documents.
This landmark report was presented on the evening of Monday 19 February 2018 during an event at the European Parliament in Brussels. Darts-ip Legal Coordinator & IP Consultant David Marques was present to share Darts-ip’s data gathering and analysis methodology.
