Community Patent proposed by Commission
A proposal for a single European Community patent has been made by the European Commission in an attempt to reduce the burden posed by patents on European businesses. The new proposal would see Community patents issued by the European Patent office, with national and European patents coexisting with them. Innovators would therefore be free to choose which patent protection best served them. The aim is to have the patent ready by the end of 2001. Costs for patent protection in Europe are significantly higher than equivalents in Japan or the USA, being 300 per cent more expensive than the US model and 500 per cent more than the Japanese model. Translation costs form around 25 per cent of the total cost of European patents - these would be slashed under the new proposal by only having to have the text translated into three official languages (English, German and French). Following the recommendations of the Lisbon and Feira summits, which endorsed a Community-wide patent as key to contributing to a competitive, knowledge-based European economy, Internal market Commissioner, Frits Bolkestein, maintained the momentum by clearly stating the case for the patent. 'The creation of a Community patent is an essential part of Europe's efforts to reduce the cost burdens on business and help ensure that research and technological and scientific innovation can be successfully applied by industry and commerce...A single patent will slash the costs of patent coverage while guaranteeing a high level of protection. Such a Community patent will provide an important competitive tool to European industry and notable SMEs in the age of the new economy.' Harmonising the patent regime is another element that will have to be dealt with. Presently there can be 15 different interpretations of the patent protection as disputes are referred to national courts. A new tribunal (within the framework of the European Court of Justice) has been suggested by the Commission, along with the recommendation that the necessary treaty changes. A spokesman for the European Commission's IPR (intellectual property rights)-helpdesk said in response to the news: 'The Community Patent is expected to be easily obtainable, effective in implementation and cheap to secure. This is bound to be welcomed by European innovators and will make our IP environment more competitive.'