European Union industry ministers reached a “breakthrough” deal to create an EU patent system and a process for resolving disputes over inventions. Today’s accord in Brussels continues a more than 40-year- old process aimed at making patent protection in Europe cheaper and easier with an EU-wide patent plan. The group failed to agree on what language the system would use -- the cause of a breakdown five years ago. Sweden, which holds the rotating six-month EU presidency until the end of this year, said today’s agreement was a “breakthrough” and a “significant step towards a final solution,” according to a statement on the Web Site of its Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The proposals focus on the EU patent and the creation of a centralized court to handle disputes. They don’t include the language and translation regime for the EU patent. EU nations share 23 official languages and discussions have in the past stumbled over which should be the system’s official language.
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