After more than four decades of negotiation, impasse and posturing, 25 member states agree to create a unitary patent. MEPs who voted for the move promise simplification, lower costs and time-saving for hard-pressed SMEs.
The long-awaited single European patent will become a reality on 1 January 2014, after the Council and the European Parliament endorsed a compromise deal on Tuesday (11 December).
The promise is that the new patent will be cheaper and more effective in protecting inventions, with one patent grant providing protection in 25 member states, patent languages limited to English, French and German (in line with the European Patent Office system), and a single court to deal with disputes.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Single patent gets political nod - Science|Business
