InfoAnda - Painful birth for Europe's new one-stop patent |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Vigil Held For Pace University Student Shot By Police | 19 October 2010
Colorful Brazilian mural stirs controversy in Boston | | 9 August 2012
Bolivia says to fund drug war after dispute with U.S. | International | | 6 November 2008

E.Timor seeks solution on asylum seekers: Minister | 21 July 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Painful birth for Europe's new one-stop patent |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Aerospace & Defense Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Campaign Polling Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Breakingviews Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Obama tells voters to watch Republicans, but he's not 29 Aug 2012 Isaac heads north after soaking U.S. Gulf, New Orleans | 10:44am EDT "Little flash" as bionic eye brings amazed woman some sight 10:32am EDT Samsung steals march on Nokia with first Windows phone 29 Aug 2012 Iran's policies attacked by U.N. head, Egyptian leader | 11:42am EDT Discussed 138 Obama’s lead over Romney grows despite voters’ pessimism 122 Romney to announce vice presidential choice Saturday 94 Analysis: Are Israelis tough enough for a long war with Iran? Sponsored Links Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption Burning Man Strange sights at the Burning Man 2012 arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Slideshow Syria's indoor war Members of the Free Syrian Army often wage their battle from inside abandoned homes. Slideshow Painful birth for Europe's new one-stop patent Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Special Report: China's "wild east" drug store Tue, Aug 28 2012 Analysis: Friend and foe; Samsung, Apple won't want to damage parts deal Mon, Aug 27 2012 Samsung shares drop $12 billion after Apple's court victory Mon, Aug 27 2012 Analysis: How Apple overwhelmed Samsung's patent case tactics Mon, Aug 27 2012 Apple triumphs over Samsung in landmark patent case Fri, Aug 24 2012 Analysis & Opinion Knight Capital’s filings reveal scant oversight focus on tech risks for board Related Topics Health » Tech » Media » France » By Ben Hirschler MUNICH | Thu Aug 30, 2012 5:30am EDT MUNICH (Reuters) - That Europe needs a common patent is patently obvious to Michael Setton, who runs a tiny technology firm in France making wireless sensors that track environmental and biomedical data. Yet he and thousands of other inventors are still waiting to hear when they will finally be able to protect their inventions across the region at one go, cutting costs dramatically. For now, Setton has given up and skipped the European market by going directly to the United States because his company, Sensaris, which has a staff of just five, cannot afford the expense of getting patents in each individual European country. Two months ago, it seemed the issue had been fixed. Even as Europe's single currency system teetered, European Union leaders hailed an agreement, after more than 30 years of wrangling, to launch another pan-European project - a common patent and a single court in which to defend property rights. But the June deal has been delayed by the European Parliament, whose members are angry at the exclusion of the European Court of Justice from the patent litigation process. Benoit Battistelli, president of the Munich-based European Patent Office (EPO), which will administer the new unitary patent, is confident there will eventually be an accord. "I don't think so many years of discussion could fall down on such an issue, and I'm convinced there is room to find a solution that is good for everybody," he said in an interview. "We have never been closer to a final decision, but the last few meters can be the most difficult." A spokesman for the European Commission said the EU's executive was "working hard to reach a solution by the autumn". Even if there is a deal by the end of 2012, it will still be more than two years before inventors actually get the one-stop patent, which the EPO estimates will be 70 percent cheaper than the 30,000-35,000 euros ($38,000-44,000) it costs to protect an idea across the EU today. "Some time in 2015 should be a reasonable time frame," Battistelli said. Europe's splintered patent system has been blamed as one factor behind the region's failure to match other regions in commercializing science. Currently, inventors can apply to the EPO for a patent but it has to be validated in each member state, and litigation is country by country. At a time when competition in new inventions is increasing, not only from Silicon Valley but also from Asia, Battistelli is convinced a single patent is an important tool for innovation. After all, intellectual property is at the heart of business, as shown by the global patent fight between Apple and Samsung Electronics over smartphones. "It puts Europe on the same level as our main partners and competitors," Battistelli said. "European companies will be in the same situation as American or Chinese companies in their own market, with a single patent-granting authority and a single litigation system." It also promises clarity over what qualifies for protection in controversial areas like genetic and stem-cell research. BIG COST FOR SMALL FIRMS The issue is acute for small firms. They lack the deep pockets of multinational technology or pharmaceutical corporations, and patents are vital for attracting investors. "It is very important for small fish to be able to get patents because it gives value even before you have sales," said Sensaris boss Setton. "When it comes to raising capital, investors are looking for intellectual property protection." Jonathan Zuck, president of the Association for Competitive Technology, representing 3,000 small and mid-sized technology firms on both sides of the Atlantic, said the current fragmented system made it around 10 times more expensive to get patent cover in Europe than in the United States. And the upfront expense is only part of the story. With no centralized patent court, small firms also have to fight off litigants who can shop around to challenge patents in multiple jurisdictions, all potentially delivering different verdicts. "The biggest issue for small businesses is getting the protection they need to stop their ideas being stolen, more often than not by large companies," Zuck said. But while the planned common patent will be a major step forward, it will be far from perfect. Notably, a political compromise means the new patent court will be split into three, with its headquarters in Paris but London handling life science disputes and Munich engineering. That has raised fears of procedural delays and uncertainty. What is more, Spain and Italy have so far refused to back a deal because the new regime stipulates the official languages for patents as English, French and German, so it will apply to 25 rather than 27 EU states initially. Italy may join later but it is not clear if Spain will. Zuck said Madrid's bid to preserve the language in the arcane world of patents was frustrating and baffling. "The message we get from our Spanish members is 'Put your effort behind the next Don Quixote, rather than having patents in Spanish'," he said. ($1 = 0.7958 euros) (Additional reporting by Chris Wickham in London; Editing by Will Waterman) Health Tech Media France Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Thursday, 30 August 2012
Top U.S. trade official heads to Southeast Asia for talks |
Ecuador upbeat about deal to end Assange standoff |
Georgia says 3 soldiers, 11 militants killed near Russia border |
U.S. drone strike kills suspected militants: Yemen official |
Mexican police attacked CIA officers, ambush probed: sources |
Libya assembly suspends 3 members for alleged Gaddafi links |
Rabbi warns Dutch populist Wilders over ritual slaughter ban |
France extends euro zone olive branch to Berlin |
Egypt broadens Sinai campaign against militants |
Samsung steals march on Nokia with first Windows phone |
Samsung sees new Galaxy Note outselling predecessor |
Sharp's Taiwanese savior in waiting shows off his Japan prize |
Cyber spying spreads in Iran after operation blown: researchers |
Tivo revenue rises on higher Virgin Media subscriptions |
Pandora Media results beat; raises outlook |
Former Motorola worker gets 4 years for trade secrets theft |
Thrills, chills, dramatic films dominate fall season |
John Lennon's killer was offered help upon release |
Syrian opposition group not up to job, says ex-member |
Five Australian soldiers killed in Afghan incidents |
Iran leader rules out nuclear bomb, will pursue energy |
Egyptian leader in Iran for first time since 1979 revolution |
China's Premier Wen says confident Europe will beat crisis |
Activists demand release of Pakistani girl in blasphemy case |
North Korea may be facing new food crisis: aid worker |
Former Maldives president urges supporters to topple government |
South Africa: mine unrest to affect potential investment |
Nearly 50 killed or missing in Chinese mine blast: Xinhua |
Facebook co-founder Moskovitz sells more shares |
fires Washington news chief over Republican joke |
ZTE to testify in U.S. probe of alleged China telecom threat |
Fixing Sharp's earnings key point in Hon Hai talks-executive |
Sony sees little impact from Android legal woes |
Trey Songz's latest Chapter takes Billboard No. 1 |
Thrills, chills, dramatic films dominate fall season |
Rapper Beanie Sigel arrested for drug, gun possession: report |
Seacrest drops bid for Dick Clark Productions
Iran doubles underground nuclear capacity: IAEA |
Exclusive: U.N. patents body roiled by misconduct feud |
U.S. sanctions key members of Pakistan-based militant group |
Swiss experts ready to help Arafat probe, but time running out |
Eco-commune flourishes as Greek economy withers |
Ghana's ruling NDC backs Mahama for December vote |
Fewer than 7 percent of Lonmin workers reports for duty |
In Brazil, a land of rivers, crops take the road |
Four Eritrean journalists die in prison: watchdog |
Knight accepts Nasdaq's $62-million Facebook payback plan |
Amazon says Kindle Fire has sold out |
China smartphone market to overtake U.S. in 2012: research firm |
Sony CEO says Vita gaming sales near expectations |
ZTE launches Intel-based smartphone |
China's Huawei unveils 6 Android devices |
Painful birth for Europe's new one-stop patent |
Venice warms to a chilling portrait of a killer |
Great Expectations rounds off London film festival |
French pianist admires Debussy as hedonist of sound |
Poster girl for women's boxing is now Bollywood muse |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01