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December 12, 2012
Yesterday the European Parliament overwhelmingly backed plans for a unitary patent, with the first rights likely to be granted in less than two years. But many questions remain unanswered
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December 12, 2012
A vote by MEPs yesterday in favour of the unitary patent means that IP owners planning their patent filing strategies could soon have a new way of protecting their rights in Europe
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December 11, 2012
Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly backed plans for a unitary patent and unified patent court covering 25 of the EU’s 27 member states, paving the way for the biggest change in European patent protection in 40 years
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December 11, 2012
An important hurdle in the path of the unitary patent looks set to be dismantled after a key legal adviser at the Court of Justice of the EU said today that 25 member states should be able to press ahead with a deal without Italy and Spain
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December 07, 2012
EPO President Benoit Battistelli is “confident, after long discussions, that EU authorities [Council of Ministers and European Parliament] will agree on a unitary patent package next week” he said today
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November 21, 2012
A compromise proposal on the unitary patent package has won the support – hesitant if not wholehearted – of a key group of MEPs
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November 08, 2012
The Cyprus presidency of the EU has suggested wording to break the latest deadlock over the unified patent court (UPC)
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October 02, 2012
MEPs will not back a system of pan-European patent litigation that does not give the Court of Justice of the EU a role in deciding what constitutes infringement of a unitary patent, says Klaus-Heiner Lehne, chair of the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee
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June 29, 2012
EU member states have finally agreed where the courts for a new unitary patent system in Europe are to be based. Paris is to be home to the central division while two so-called thematic clusters are to be set up in the UK and Germany: Munich will host mechanical engineering cases and London chemistry (including pharmaceuticals) and human necessities
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June 29, 2012
After EU member states today removed a key barrier to a unitary patent package becoming reality, Managing IP explains what needs to happen next before IP owners can begin applying for the new right
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May 30, 2012
Jochen Pagenberg, a former member of an EU Commission-appointed Expert Committee on the future patent court, has told the EU president that the unitary patent package due to be discussed by member states today is an “unworkable solution”
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May 28, 2012
The EU Competitiveness Council will discuss the proposed agreement on a unified patent court in a closed session this Wednesday. Meanwhile, draft rules of procedure have been submitted to the European Commission
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January 30, 2012
Heads of government at today’s EU Council meeting will be discussing the euro, youth unemployment and boosting enterprise - but they may also find time to break the deadlock on the planned unitary patent
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December 07, 2011
If EU member states ever want to get a deal on the patent reform package they need to put their negotiating cards on the table, a senior Commission official said today
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December 06, 2011
EU ministers came close to agreeing a full package of patent reforms last night – but not close enough. The main hurdle that remains to be crossed is the location of the central division of the proposed unified patent court
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December 05, 2011
European ministers meeting in Brussels could reach agreement on the elements of a patent reform package by the end of today
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December 02, 2011
The latest plans to create a pan-European court for patent disputes fail to address the fundamental concerns of users of the patent system
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December 02, 2011
EU ministers will meet next week to discuss details of the proposed European unified patent court, after the Council presidency and European Parliament agreed a deal yesterday
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November 25, 2011
MEPs have been given a mandate by Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee to negotiate an EU patent package made up of three proposals (unitary patent, language regime and unified patent court) on November 30.
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November 10, 2011
A group of 27 European judges has unanimously voiced concern over the inclusion of provisions on substantive patent law in the proposal for an EU unitary patent
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October 07, 2011
EU plans for a unitary patent will not be derailed by legal challenges filed by Spain and Italy, a senior European Commission official predicted today
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August 26, 2011
Spain and Italy have both launched legal challenges to the EU unitary patent
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July 11, 2011
In an exclusive interview, Robert van Peursem – senior judge in the IP department of The Hague District Court in the Netherlands – talks to James Nurton about judicial freedom, patent reform and cowboy courts
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July 11, 2011
The Polish government says it “will aim to conclude work on the creation of a unitary patent system” during its EU presidency
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June 28, 2011
Europe’s patent lawyers have welcomed yesterday’s decision to proceed with an EU unitary patent, but warned that its success depends on a satisfactory litigation system
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May 31, 2011
The European Commission has proposed a “suggested solution” for a unitary patent court in the EU, which addresses objections raised by the EU Court of Justice
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May 31, 2011
The two countries that are not taking part in enhanced cooperation have launched a court challenge against the planned EU unitary patent system
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April 13, 2011
The European Commission today adopted two proposals for regulations to implement a unitary patent in the European Union
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March 08, 2011
A requiem; a great disappointment; the destruction of 10 years’ work. They were some of the reactions today to the EU Court of Justice’s opinion on a single patent court
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March 08, 2011
The European Commission today said it will analyse the concerns raised by the Court of Justice "very carefully" to identify appropriate solutions
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March 08, 2011
The proposed single European patent court is not compatible with the EU treaties, the Court of Justice in Luxembourg said today
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March 10, 2011
Representatives of EU member states today approved plans to introduce an EU patent through enhanced cooperation
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March 02, 2011
The future of patent protection in Europe is set to be decided in Luxembourg and Brussels next week
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February 17, 2011
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December 10, 2010
Eleven member states are to press ahead with discussions that could see detailed plans for an EU patent by the end of next year
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December 02, 2010
The European Commission will respond to a request to create an EU patent based on enhanced cooperation “within a few weeks”, Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier said today
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November 30, 2010
Google will work with the European Patent Office to improve machine translations, after the two organisations signed a memorandum of understanding today
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November 15, 2010
The creation of an EU patent covering just some of the single market is increasingly likely, after member states failed to agree on translation requirements
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November 11, 2010
The Belgian presidency of the EU made a raft of proposals in an ultimately futile attempt to break the deadlock over translation arrangements for the EU patent yesterday
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November 10, 2010
European ministers fell just short of unanimity on a plan to create an EU patent this evening, effectively killing the decades-old project
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November 04, 2010
Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier yesterday said he is “really determined” to see agreement between member states on an EU patent in the coming week
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November 04, 2010
Belgium has gone a long way towards achieving consensus on a language regime for the proposed EU patent, but at least one member state still needs convincing
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November 04, 2010
The EPO is “ready and prepared to implement the EU patent”, a senior official at the Office said yesterday
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October 01, 2010
Lord Justice Jacob believes the current proposals for a European patent court will fail, but that reform will soon come through a “coalition of the willing”. In-house counsel can’t wait
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September 13, 2010
Officials from EU member states last week discussed the potential to use machine translations of patent documents for the proposed European Union Patent
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August 24, 2010
Plans for a single European patent litigation system and an EU patent have been dealt a serious blow by legal advisers at Europe’s top court
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July 26, 2010
“In a meeting chaired by the Belgian presidency of the EU, member states have clashed on the languages to be used to file the proposed Community patent,” reported Managing IP in 2001. Nine years on, can the Belgians break the latest impasse?
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July 01, 2010
Applicants for the proposed EU patent will be able to file in just one language, under a proposal published by the European Commission today
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May 01, 2010