Patent laws

(CNN) -- British innovator James Dyson, who has built a multi-billion dollar empire around his distinctive vacuum cleaners, has described patent laws across Europe as "absolute madness", saying they are unhelpful for inventors and small businesses.
Dyson told CNN he wants the patent system in Europe radically overhauled. Over the last four decades, Dyson said, he has been affected enormously by people copying his ideas.
Government leaders are continuously telling businesses that innovation drives the economy. But Dyson points to the red tape surrounding the patenting process as being a massive hurdle for businesses wanting to develop ideas.
"The problem with inventing: as soon as you file a patent they see what you are doing and they can see ways to get around it," said Dyson, who made his fortune inventing a bagless vacuum.
The 64-year-old is an outspoken critic of Chinese counterfeiters, calling on governments to do more to protect intellectual property rights.
Problems can arise because of the wording of the patents, Dyson said. "There are no diagrams or drawings and often something hinges on the particular phrasing of the patent."
According to Dyson, if it is obvious someone has copied another person's ideas they should be dealt with without the parties going through a protracted legal battle. "There shouldn't be this endless rigmarole of 'could this have been devised by one skilled in the art?'"
Because the current system involves many expenses due to varying jurisdictions throughout the continent, a Europe-wide patent is the answer, according to Dyson.
"You have to file in each country, you have to translate in each country, sue in each country, renews in each country -- it's seen as a profit center for each country."
Issues surrounding plagiarism are not limited to businesses, with consumers also feeling the impact of the high cost of producing and securing new inventions, Dyson said.
Energy-saving and cost effective products and technology won't be created because of the enormous upfront investment it takes to develop them, he said "It's anticompetitive to make copying easy."