Persbericht Unified Patent Court

Conclusions European Council on EU unitary patent system, Brussels 29 juni 2012, EUCO 76/12

Zie ook IEF 10630.

Vandaag is er na 30 jaar onderhandelen over een Europees octrooisysteem overeenstemming bereikt over de Unified Patent Court. Voorzitter van de Raad van de Europese Unie, Herman van Rompuy, gaf vanmiddag een persconferentie (video).

'The European Council on 29 June concluded the negotiations on the EU's future unitary patent system. The long-awaited decision paves the way for establishing less expensive, simpler and more efficient patent protection for businesses, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, in the EU.

"After thirty years of negotiations, we now have an agreement on the European patent. The European businesses will now experience – when we have it finalised – that instead of applying for patent in 27 member states, they can now apply in one place. And that will be good for growth and business in Europe", said Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

The leaders had to solve the last outstanding issue: the seat of the Unified Patent Court's Central Division of the Court of First Instance. They agreed that it would be based in Paris and have two specialised sections, one in London and the other in Munich.
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Next Steps
The European Parliament will vote on the unitary patent "package" in July 2012. The Council will adopt the two regulations shortly thereafter.

The member states will sign the Unified Patent Court agreement in the second half of 2012. After it is ratified by a sufficient number of member states (at least 13), it will enter into force. This is expected to happen in early 2014. The two regulations will enter into force at the same time.

Lees hier het gehele persbericht.

Given the highly specialised nature of patent litigation and the need to maintain high quality standards, thematic clusters will be created in two sections of the Central Division, one in London (chemistry, including pharmaceuticals, classification C, human necessities, classification A), the other in Munich (mechanical engineering, classification F).

Steekwoorden: Unitair Octrooigerecht, Parijs, Londen en München,
London: chemistry, including pharmaceuticals, classification C, human necessities, classification A
München: mechanical engineering, classification F