INTERVIEW WITH BENOIT BATISTELLI, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE (EPO) : UNITARY PATENT: 'I HOPE FOR A QUICK SOLUTION'.

Benoit Batistelli, who directs the European Patent Office, presented, on 29 February, the new automatic translation tool, Patent Translate', that uses Google's translation technology to make information on European patents available to the public. This service, which allows translation to and from English for French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish, covers around 90% of all patents delivered in Europe accessible on the EPO website. In this interview with Europolitics information society, Batistelli discusses the architecture of the patent system in Europe and the advantages of the future unitary patent. He mentions the need to move quickly on this measure, which is currently blocked in Council on the question of the location of the central division of the future patent court system.

What advantages will the future unitary patent offer over the current European patent?

The unitary patent is a European patent delivered by the EPO. Up to delivery, the process is identical to what we have at present. The applicant will then have the choice between two types of protection, either limited to a certain number of countries chosen by the applicant, as is the case today, or protection under the unitary patent that will cover the 25 member states taking part in enhanced cooperation, in a single initiative. The aim is to reduce patent costs in the EU and simplify administrative formalities for individuals, companies, research institutes and SMEs. It is estimated that this unitary patent, offering comparable protection in 25 member states, will reduce costs by 70%.

University centres, research laboratories and SMEs, which sometimes still hesitate to seek patent protection due to the cost or excessive red tape in a number of European countries, will have easier access to patents at a lower cost.

What is your view on the stalemate holding up the unitary patent over the question of the location of the central division of the future court?

To start, there is no legal connection between the proposal for the future court and the proposal establishing the new unitary patent. They will come out together coincidentally. As the French president of a European organisation based in Munich, I have to adopt a neutral and reserved stance on this matter. I hope that the authorities concerned will work out a solution quickly. Each has advantages. We have to advance on the political momentum created on these proposals, which are going to take around...

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