2023-11-08 13:04:02
Women in this country file significantly fewer patents than men; the proportion of female inventors is just eight percent. This puts Austria at the bottom of the list in a European comparison; in no other country is the proportion of women so low. “This of course sets alarm bells ringing for us,” said interim Patent Office President Stefan Harasek, according to a broadcast on Wednesday. A package of measures is now intended to increase the proportion of female inventors.
The aim is to reduce barriers to patent registration for women. The patent office is launching a mentor program in which inventors are provided with a female advisor who accompanies them through the patent application process. There will also be a new category of the State Patent Prize in which companies with a particularly high proportion of women will be honored. The visibility of female inventors should also be improved, for example through targeted communication campaigns. A reduction in patent applications for female inventors would also be possible. In any case, the development in the proportion of women and the effects of the measures should be evaluated annually and the topic should be further addressed.
In contrast to other countries, the correct indication of the inventor is not mandatory in Austria. The patent office also sees a possible starting point here.
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