You may have thought the Community patent was dead, killed off two years ago after European member states failed to agree on the rules and language regime to be used.
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| Charlie McCreevy – saviour of the Community patent? |
But, last month, EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy signalled that plans for a single patent across the 25 states of the EU are still very much alive.
Launching a consultation on patent policy on January 16, McCreevy said the Commission wants to make the single market for patents a reality: "I am asking businesses and individuals alike to give me their views on how we should move forward to achieve this." He added: "Meanwhile we will of course continue to strive for the Community patent, which remains central to our policy."
The consultation runs...