The European Parliament on Tuesday concluded the drawn-out decision-making process, backing a cluster of packages by a wide majority to end nearly four decades of fighting and negotiating over the issue.

Currently, patents are filed in individual EU nations, costing up to 20,000 euros ($25,200), two-thirds of which is for translating paperwork into a score of EU languages. A key issue was to reduce costs and thus boost innovation with cheaper patents.

Italy and Spain wanted to derail the decision right up to the last minute when it filed actions with the EU's highest court, but the advocate general dismissed their pleas.

Comments ()

We are now using Facebook comments to offer a more inclusive, social and constructive discussion. Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the X in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.

This article filed under

Business

Comments

Share Facebook Twitter
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Linkedin
- MySpace
- Delicious
- Reddit
- StumbleUpon
- Digg
- Google Bookmark
- Google Buzz
- Permalink
E-mail

Article sent to (required)
E-mail
Article sent from (required)
E-mail Name

Subject Line (article title)

Message (optional)

Success - Article sent Click to close
Order reprint

Interested in reusing this article?

Custom reprints are a powerful and strategic way to share your article with customers, employees and prospects.

The YGS Group provides digital and printed reprint services for Daily Herald. Complete the form to the right and a reprint consultant will contact you to discuss how you can reuse this article.

Need more information about reprints? Visit our Reprints Section for more details.

Contact information ( * required )
Name * Company Telephone * E-mail *
Article Information
Title URL
Message (optional)

Success - Reprint request sent Click to close
Print