May 1, 2008, Will Be A Good Day for European SMEs

On January 30, the German Ministry of Justice received the French Instrument of Ratification for the London Agreement. This means that the Agreement will enter into force on 1st May 2008, bringing with it a new era for patent applicants at the European Patent Office.

This is very good news, especially for SMEs. We’ve heard time and again from our small business members that the translation costs associated with obtaining a European patent are a real problem for them. Cutting these costs will no doubt increase the incentives for small firms with limited budgets to apply for a European patent.

A while ago, I did a blog post on ex-EPO President Alain Pompidou’s speech on the European patent system. In his speech, Pompidou had predicted – correctly, as it turns out – that the London Agreement would be adopted by France within the next six months.

Pompidou also said that he believes the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA) will be adopted within the next three to five years.

Let’s hope that Pompidou’s predictions regarding the EPLA will be as spot-on as his predictions regarding the London Agreement!