Brussels, 06/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - EU28 justice ministers took an important step in the process of setting up a single European patent at the JHA Council on Friday 6 December, when they agreed on a European Commission proposal on the setting up of a unified European patent protection in an update of the European rules on judicial competence and the recognition of decisions (known as the Brussels I Regulation).
The European commissioners with responsibility in this area warmly welcomed the ministers' speed in reaching agreement, which now needs to be endorsed by the European Parliament. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding told reporters after the meeting that the agreement was the missing link needed for a well-functioning unified patent system and the patents court can now start operating, which means that companies will no longer need to take disputes to a raft of different courts in the member states, but will be able to go to a single court. She stressed the economic importance of this move because the cost of patent protection in Europe acts as a brake on the lodging of patents, which numbered 62,000 in 2011, compared with 224,000 in the United States and 172,000 in China.
Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier said this was another decisive step in moving towards a unitary patent and a Unified Patent Court. At the Competitiveness Council on Monday 2 December, he had strongly recommended that the member states ratify the unified patent agreement, when only Austria has done so to date. This agreement would mean the unified patent system could come into force in 2015, after 40 years of dallying. (MD/transl.fl)