I had the opposite experience in the US.  We have had a hard fight to get most patents past the first office action.  We hear from patent attourneys that the Patent Office is instructed to reject most patents on the first go no matter what, and then the serious patent applicants will come back with objections and win.  

We have had toaster patents rejected citing completely irrelevant "prior art" from some off the wall industry, like paint or musical instruments. Usually when we object "Ah, Mr. Patent Reviewer guy, these items you cited have nothing to do with what we are patenting" then they allow.  

South Africa is another story.  Want a few patents?  Apply in South Africa.  No Questions asked.  I believe they would probably allow a patent on making fire by rubbing sticks.  YMMV 

New Zealand is better, though.  They do have a real review process, relatively automatic if a US patent has already issued on the device, but you get a really cool letter from the Queen.  Probably the same in Australia or Great Britain, but I never got a patent there. 

-- Lawrence Lile, P.E.
Electrical and Electronic Solutions
Project Solutions Companies
www.projsolco.com



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wouter van Ooijen [mailto:wouter@voti.nl]
> Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 8:56 AM
> To: 'Microcontroller discussion list - Public.'
> Subject: RE: [OT] FAT patent rejected
> 
> > says that the USPTO rejects some patents 'on appeal'. I.e. someone
> > (lawyers) makes a lot of money on it. Would it not be more
> > beneficial if
> > they would reject them outright instead of granting them ?
> 
> IMHO you are completely right, but the world is moving in the opposite
> direction. Even my own country (Netherlands), which used to have one of
> the toughest pre-patent investigation regimes, has moved to a just-file
> approach, leaving the challenging to the courts. Two thing that hake
> this move unavoidable is the gradual lowering of the 'innovation level'
> and the sheer amount of 'existing knowledge' which makes it almost
> impossible for a patent officer to asses whether a patent is realy new.
> 
> Wouter van Ooijen
> 
> -- -------------------------------------------
> Van Ooijen Technische Informatica: www.voti.nl
> consultancy, development, PICmicro products
> docent Hogeschool van Utrecht: www.voti.nl/hvu
> 
> 
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