NEW PATENT PLAN LAUNCHED ACROSS THE EU

The lack of simple procedures for securing patent protection across all 27 EU members' states has long been regarded as a major weakness in the single market. The cost associated with the translation processes required to protect new products and services across Europe are a significant barrier to cross-border trading particularly to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Members states have tried and failed several times to secure agreement, with negotiations usually breaking down over the questions of whether the systems should be based on English alone or on just few major languages.

The Internal Market Commissioner has now approached the problem form a different angle, concentrating on improving the jurisdictional systems. The plan would create a unified litigation area for patent issues, based on limited number of first instance chambers around the EU. The European Court of Justice would act as a final court of appeal. There would be provision to integrate a Community Patent system – if member states can reach an agreement.

The Plan will now go for discussion by ministers in June.