For some time, there has been an ongoing debate as to what shape the patenting system(s) in Europe should have. Some of the articles and papers that have contributed to this are as follows:

Quel système de propriété intellectuelle pour la France d’ici 2020? (rapport du groupe PIÉTA, 2006)

Rapport de la commission sur l'économie de l'immatériel (See in particular recommendations 40 and 41)

Gowers Review of Intellectual Property (UK, December 2006)

Stellungnahme des wissenschaftlichen Beirat beim Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technology zum Thema "Patentschutz und Innovation" (Professor Dietmar Harhoff, 2007)

European Parliament Scientific and Technical Options Assessment, STOA: "Policy options for the European Patent System" (Background document of November 2006)

STOA: "Governance of the European Patent System" (Contribution of Dr. Ingrid Schneider, University of Hamburg, Germany, November 2006)

Interview with Dr. Ingrid Schneider, University of Hamburg, Germany

IDEI (Institut d'Economie industrielle, University of Toulouse) study into objectives and incentives at the EPO

In 1995, the European Commission issued a "Green Paper on Innovation". Some of the documents relating to this are as follows:

The SUEPO contribution to the green paper, Position de l'union Syndicale de l'OEB sur le livre vert

Comment fonctionne le système actuel des brevets en Europe? (DG XV)

Brevets - la Commission adopte un Livre Vert (DG XV), Patents - Commission approves Green Paper (DG XV)

REPORT on the Green Paper on the Community patent and the patent system in Europe: Promoting innovation through patents (COM(97)0314 - C4-0342/97)Adopted on 19.11.98

"Rückführung des europäischen Patentrechts in die Europäische Union" by Otto Bossung.(English version, Deutsche Fassung)

"The state of the patent system in the European Union" by Josef Straus

"Das europäische Patentsystem und die europäische Integration" by J.B. Van Benthem (English version, Deutsche Fassung)

"Priority for patents" by Edward Armitage

The following give a flavour of the foundation on which the European Patent Convention was based:

Angleichung des gewerblichen Rechtsschutzesim Rahmen der EWG
GRUR, Int., Dezember 1959, Seite 629 (German)

Wiederaufnahme der Arbeiten am europäischen Patentrecht
GRUR, Int., Dezember 1969, Heft 7, Seite 225 (German)

The European Patent Enters a New Phase
R.Singer, published in IIC,No 1/1970, page 19