Rebecca Taylor backs efforts to cut red tape for British businesses

Rebecca Taylor, Lib Dem Euro-MP for Yorkshire and the Humber, has backed today’s long-awaited deal on a European Patent. This will make it easier for businesses to register their products in different languages in different EU countries.

The European Parliament has voted to accept a hard-fought compromise package which has taken nearly forty years to negotiate. Two states, Spain and Italy, have declined to take part on the grounds that their languages are not included in the patent filing process.

Yorkshire and Humber MEP, Rebecca Taylor, a member of the European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee, commented:

” It has taken nearly 40 years of negotiation to reach the final agreement on a European patent, which was adopted today by the European Parliament. This historic agreement will bring great benefits to businesses here in the UK, in particular for SMEs and Universities by cutting red tape and reducing costs by up to 80%. This is a great example of the European Union making it easier for businesses to operate across the continent, although it is a pity it did not happen more quickly”. 

“Interestingly, British Green and UKIP MEPs have united in their opposition to this new EU patent system, which raises the question as to what solution they would propose to the current fractured state of European intellectual property. Voting against these changes simply shows what little concern they have for businesses here in the UK.”

 

ENDS

 

Editors’ Note:

 

At present, patents have to be registered in each European country separately. In future, an applicant will now be able to register a unitary patent in any EU language and the request will be processed by the European Patent Office in English, French or German. Automatic translation services will be accessible free of charge in all EU languages in order to keep costs down for SMEs, universities, research organisations and ordinary citizens. The European Patent Court will be split in three locations with Paris as the administrative centre, Munich as the centre for mechanical engineering and London as the hub for chemicals, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

 

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