Patents Act 2004
The Patents Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom relating to patent law.
Provisions
One of the purposes of the Act is to give effect to the revised European [Patent Convention] which was agreed by Diplomatic Conference in November 2000. It also amended employees' rights to compensation for inventions, to enable employee compensation "to be awarded in respect of all outstanding benefits deriving from a patented invention, removing the requirement for an employee to show that the patent itself is of outstanding benefit".The act also make it easier for small and medium size businesses to enforce their rights. The act allows individuals to have access to an independent Patent Office "opinion" on the validity of their patent.
Section 17 - Commencement etc
The following orders have been made under this section:*