Patent Translations: EU-wide patent is stuck in the mud

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EUPolitix recently reported in an article on plans for a single EU-US market also on the latest developments for a EU-wide patent system, which would abolish the requirement to translate patents into all EU languages.

Citing internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy, who was unveiling new figures on the rate of transposition of EU directives into national law, EUPolitix writes

"The proposal for an EU-wide patent is stuck in the mud. .. It is clear to me from discussions with member states that there is no consensus at present on how to improve the situation."

Plans for a unified EU-wide patent system have been blocked for years over disagreements between member states, mainly on the always thorny issue of what language to use.

Currently, patentees, who want to protect their inventions EU-wide, have to submit translations into all European languages. While this creates enormous costs for the applicants, it has created a strong market for patent translations.

The EU Commission?s proposal suggests that all patents should be published only in one of the three official EU working languages --- French, German or English. This would reduce translation costs and speed up the patent process. Luckily, for the translation industry, France opposes the proposal amid fears that most patents will be written in English.

More information: EUPolitx

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EU aims at renewing European patent law

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Patent translations threatened?