As part of the Single Market Act presented on the 13th of April, the European Commission has tabled a package of two legislative proposals, under enhanced cooperation, that will radically reduce the cost of patents in Europe by up to 80%. This will allow any company or individual to protect their inventions through a single European patent which is valid in 25 Member States. The proposed regulations lay down the terms and conditions for obtaining unitary patent protection, its legal effects and the applicable translation arrangements. The draft regulations will now pass to the Council and the European Parliament for consideration. The Commission
hopes Spain and Italy, who are not yet among the participants, will join the enhanced cooperation.Link to the text: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0216:FIN:EN:PDF
