We are meeting here today at Saronno where there is the famous Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Miracles but also another Sanctuary where we find ourselves at this moment, the Sanctuary of electronics. Small compared with the aggressive and famished titans of money and royalties that surround us, but miraculous and rich in graces received.
Thanks to this Sanctuary and the technical monks who work here many injustices have been avoided.
The Sanctuary of electronics has protected small and medium-sized companies, which thanks to savings linked to royalties not due to overbearing and aggressive companies, have grown, created jobs and made investments.
This has been made possible thanks to the great commitment and electronics know-how of the men of the Sanctuary and because God is with us.
According to the prestigious Bloomberg Innovation Index, which groups together significant indices on innovation and technology topics, the best country, the gold medal, is South Korea.
So, welcome and great honour to our friends from Korea, who, with a different style, without attacking and with a smile on their lips, carry the record for technology all over the world.
We are proud to be their partner! Thanks Jacob, thanks Yoonjoon, thanks Ove, thanks Jace for being here!
And thanks also because in the productivity index you are 32nd.
What does this figure mean?
It means that you give great importance to the man, to the person, to the quality of life. Well done, you are people to copy. Having said this, I would like to make a general remark about patents with you. Studying in depth what is happening in the patents world, we have realised that the patents war and the cost of patents have become more important than the product itself.
Companies are bought and sold only because they possess patents. But are these patents an ethical instrument? Who do they protect?
Probably the bullies.
A patent is filed, accepted but then, too often it is invalidated.
In the meantime, however, unfair royalties are paid, unjust prosecutions are put into action and unfair compensations are requested.
Many small and medium-size companies are attacked with requests for the payment of royalties for millions of euros; files are put onto the table with thousands of patents which then turn out often to be copies, not original and not valid.
I believe that there is nothing ethical about this situation.
So, what can we do to defend the know-how of those who, in actual fact, create something new, to defend ourselves from someone who wants to extort money by proposing standard ideas as if they were original, new and innovative?
In USA they have changed the principle for filing patents from ” First to invent” to ” First to file”
In the electronics Sanctuary we do not agree.
The patent must belong to the person who invents and not the person who files it.
Why do patents last 20 years?
Because years ago technology was slow, but now what sense is there in keeping a patent for 20 years?
Someone says it is in order to increase production and decrease sales costs.
The Sanctuary does not agree.
Patents must last a maximum of 5 years, to free up energies, to activate new know-how.
We will fight to obtain this result.
Specifically, we are here after winning amazing battles against aggressors and exploiters.
We have proved that the main patents of a licensee agreement were false.
Little David has shown that Goliath could be beaten.
So many friends agree with us, others because of a close personal interest or perhaps because they were afraid reached agreements or were forced to do so with Goliath.
Today, we want to say: do not be afraid of Goliath!
If they are exploiting you, there are lots of little Davids here to defend you from the bullying of Goliath.
Licensee agreements existing in Europe are based on invalid patents; we will fight to demonstrate it and to break this wrong claim.
Patents exist and must be respected, but we must recognise only the patent, pay only for that patent and, as stated over and over again by the judges, the possibility does not exist of obtaining, via the patent, royalties on profits or on other products which complete the range but which do not utilise any patent.
The aim of the Light and Design Committee is to continue to invalidate false patents, to protect companies, citizens and their families.
