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| From Treasury to Treasure? Tax- efficiency from the Patent Box* |
The United Kingdom's Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys has been quick to defend the increasingly-repeated assertion that the British "patent box" tax scheme [frequently discussed on IP Finance since it was originally proposed: see pieces listed here] is simply a tax avoidance device, rather than a mechanism for encouraging investment. In to a media release last week, CIPA's President Chris Mercer nails the myth firmly. The media release reads as follows:
‘Patent box’ designed to encourage innovation, not avoid tax, says patent attorneys’ president
“Headlines in today’s media linking the ‘patent box’ to tax avoidance measures are missing the point,” says Chris Mercer, President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.
“Fiscal measures are one of the few tools government can use to influence corporate behaviour,” he says. “The Patent Box has only just come into effect, but there are already signs that it is having a positive effect. Companies – especially mid-size, technology-based enterprises – are starting to incorporate IP into their strategic plans. Patent attorneys are being invited to talk to main boards, not just to the R&D department [Both of these are 'attitude-changers' rather than anything else, but attitude-changing is vital if we expect there to be a change in investment behaviour too]. This is good example of how a government initiative is actually achieving the desired effect – encouraging businesses to innovate and add value by protecting their IP.
“The idea that anyone would start inventing things and patenting them as a way of avoiding tax is nonsensical,” he added.
There has also been an increase in patent applications at the Intellectual Property Office. ”This increase is a welcome and much-needed,” said the CIPA President. “UK companies have been falling behind their foreign competitors in terms of patent filings. The Patent Box and other government measures to encourage innovation may have helped reverse the trend.This blogger doubts that there is any correlation between the availability of patent box tax breaks and the number of patents filed. In his view, given the cost and the sheer effort that attends the filing of most patents, and the negative return that most of them can realistically expected to deliver, anything that encourages investors to commit to new products and processes rather than concentrate on old, tried-and-tested ones, should be warmly welcomed.
* The illustration is of a Merck family Treasure Chest Christmas Ornament, available here for US$ 18.99.
