EU / Euro
Patents deal lost on translation
Thursday, 11 March 2004EU industry ministers have failed to reach agreement on a single patent system to slash the cost of patenting inventions in Europe.
Tanaiste Mary Harney, who chaired the discussions, described the failure as 'deeply disappointing'.
Patents in Europe cost four times more than in the US, mainly because of red tape and translation requirements. The ministers were divided on the maximum length of time for a translation and on the legal value of the translation.
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Under a new system proposed in 2002, the patent's claims - which describe use and function - would be translated into all EU official languages, with the rest of the document in English, German or French.
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