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Reinhard Knauer

is a senior partner at Grünecker. He has worked as a patent attorney in Europe, and Germany specifically, for nearly three decades, and many of the patents he has worked on have corresponding U.S. family members. He has litigated patents in Germany that were originally drafted and filed in the United States. Based on his extensive experience, he has a deep understanding of the differences between EPC, German, and U.S. patent law.

Recent Articles by Reinhard Knauer

Building High-Quality Patent Portfolios in the United States and Europe: Part III – Examiner Interviews

In Part I of this series we discussed how patent portfolio managers should be careful when generating company-owned prior art or reviewing competitor prior art, and how a patent litigation or licensing campaign can be significantly hamstrung based on how the United States and Europe consider intervening prior art. In Part II, we examined software patents with U.S. and European Patent (EP) family members. Part III builds on Parts I and II and focuses on the value of examiner interviews in the U.S. and Europe.

Building High-Quality Patent Portfolios in the United States and Europe: Part II – Software Patents

In Part I of this series, we discussed how patent portfolio managers should be careful when generating company-owned prior art or reviewing competitor prior art, and how a patent litigation or licensing campaign can be significantly hamstrung based on how the United States and Europe consider intervening prior art. In Part II, we will focus on software patents with U.S. and EP family members. The number of software related patent applications that are filed at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and European Patent Office (EPO) continues to increase despite heightened scrutiny during examination. Further, U.S. courts and national courts in Europe continue to critically analyze the eligibility of software patents.