“(K)eine Frage des Alters – Patentverletzung infolge betriebsgemäßer Abnutzung” – contribution by Nils T. F. Schmid in Festschrift for Sabine Rojahn

“Internationale Durchsetzung von Schutzrechten” (International Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights) is the title of the jubilee publication with contributions by Germany’s most renown judges, lawyers and attorneys published by C.H.Beck Verlag in 2021 on the occasion of the 70th birthday of Germany’s “grande dame of patent law” Dr. Sabine Rojahn. Among the contributors is also BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT patent attorney Nils T.F. Schmid.

In his contribution entitled “(K)eine Frage des Alters – Patentverletzung infolge betriebsgemäßer Abnutzung” (A question of age? – patent infringement due to wear and tear), Nils T.F. Schmid discusses two patent litigation cases which provide particular insight into the influence of wear and tear on the interpretation and definition of technical property rights. He specifically analyses the current state of case law with regard to legal questions of infringement (§§ 9, 10 German Patent Act), novelty (§ 3 German Patent Act) and inventive step (§ 4 German Patent Act), points out implications for the definition of scopes of protection and derives possible conclusions for the future.

In his conclusion, Nils T.F. Schmid emphasizes the necessity of including wear and tear effects of products and devices in the formulation and interpretation of patent claims – not only for the assessment of infringement, but also within the application process, especially the definition of the scope of protection. A catalogue of criteria for the examination for calculable wear and tear tries to increase legal certainty for registered and examined intellectual property in respective technical fields.

“Internationale Durchsetzung von Schutzrechten” can be ordered at C.H.Beck Verlag under ISBN 938 3 406 75240 7.