Brussels, 20/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - The PES, Greens/EFA and GUE/NGL groups in the European Parliament on 20 September put down a draft resolution denouncing the support that Charlie McCreevy has recently given the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA). At the start of September, Mr McCreevy, Commissioner for the internal market, announced a specific initiative following a double approach before the end of the year: bringing new ideas to relaunch the Community patent and involving the Community in the EPLA (see EUROPE 9263). In their draft resolution, MEPs consider that the creation of a non-Community legal system and central court, as proposed under the EPLA, would put in question the commitment of the contracting countries -which are also Member States - towards Community courts and the internal market. They say that “only a Community framework” would be able to create the “conditions for effective and democratic control on European patents law at international level”. In addition, the “EPLA would not reduce costs except in a small number of cases” (those which involve several jurisdictions) “but it would increase the average cost for the majority of cases related to patents, thereby exposing small and medium-sized enterprises to increased risk”. “The EPLA is a new opportunity of the patents system in Europe,” said German Christian Democrat MEP Klaus-Heiner Lehne, however, in a press release. He backs the “new approach” by the Commission which will allow a simplification of procedures and lower the costs for small and medium-sized enterprises, he said. “Contrary to Socialist propaganda” which compares “apples with pears”, he said, the EPLA legal system will fall within the competence of the EU and will contribute to overcoming the lack of movement on the Community patent. “The only thing that these people can offer is to dig up the Community patent in 20 languages that will never work,” he said for the attention of his Socialist group colleagues.