Fast-track plan for revamped patents policy

Date: 22/01/1998

By Peter Chapman

PLANS to boost protection of EU inventions by creating a new fast-track system for granting Union-wide patents are set to be unveiled by the European Commission.

Officials say a new patent policy to be launched in April will reform old proposals dating back to 1975 which were never approved by member states because they were seen as too bureaucratic.

"There was a lack of will from member states to start anything on a Community-wide level. The 1975 system was seen to be so complicated and costly that it would not be used. Industry was not interested," said one.

The latest plan follows last year's publication of a Green Paper on patent policy which is currently being scrutinised by Euro MPs. There has been growing concern that the lack of a simple European patent system is holding back innovation in the Union, with inventors facing a mountain of red tape if they want protection outside their own country.

"We are awaiting the opinion of the European Parliament on our Green Paper. Once we have this we intend to publish a very tightly focused policy paper with a list of five or six actions. It will totally forget the old approach and start from scratch," said the official.

One of the key reforms likely to be proposed would remove the requirement for full patents to be published in all 11 EU languages for them to be recognised across the Union. Instead, companies and inventors would only be required to submit a short summary of their patents to offices in other member states.

This would slash one of the main costs facing firms wanting EU-wide protection for their inventions.

"What we need to do is alert technicians in other member states that there is a new patent by making a summary. That would be sufficient. We don't need 700 pages of text in all the EU languages," said the official.

The Union's burgeoning computer software sector is also likely to receive special attention as part of the reform. Officials say there is a need for greater clarity in the industry as there are all kinds of limits on patents in the sector.

The neglected role of patent offices in member states will also be targeted in an effort to encourage them to offer more "information and promotion of innovation".

Part of this improved packaging of information will be a focus on the use of information technology to improve access to patent data.