Patent rights : from management to strategy

The protection of innovations and management of patent rights have become major issues both for companies and public research laboratories. This has become an increasingly complicated problem requiring a large amount of capital and very special skills. It is for these reasons that, as part of the Sarkozy government’s programme for future investments (called ‘The Big Loan’), the French government and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (Deposits and Consignments Fund) created France Brevets. This is a simplified joint stock company with a capital of one hundred million Euros which is capable of making groups of relevant patents (which are easier to protect and to register on the international market than individual patents) by buying patents or commercial rights. Jean-Charles Hourcade, who was appointed director of France Brevets when it started, presents its aims, strategy and business model, and assesses its first six months.