Irish Presidency helps boost European innovation by delivering on long-awaited Unified Patent Court Agreement

The signing of the Unified Patent Court Agreement in Brussels on Tuesday 19 February is one of the crucial final steps in providing innovative European businesses with a one-stop shop for registering and protecting patents within the EU.

On Tuesday Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, on behalf of the Irish Presidency, will along with Ministers from the majority of EU member states, give European innovators a boost by signing the Unified Patent Court Agreement.

The agreement is part of a package of measures that will provide a one-stop shop for innovative enterprises to register and protect their patents in the European Union.

Minister Richard Bruton said: “The signing of the Unified Patent Court will be a truly historic moment as it paves the way for the implementation of the patents package, which will give enterprises greater access to patent protection at European level, and make enforcement of patents affordable. It will also be an important milestone in the continued development of the Single Market – a priority for the Irish Presidency. Indeed, achieving a unified patent litigation system was a major priority of the April 2011 Single Market Act.”

The ongoing implementation of Single Market Act measures helps ensure that Irish Presidency is delivering on its commitment to contribute to EU’s needs around jobs, growth and competitiveness.

The Minister added, “When the full patents package is implemented, it will mean that European enterprises will, on the basis of a single application, be able to obtain a patent that has effect in the majority of Member States of the EU and have access to a common litigation system to process any actions for infringement or invalidation of that patent.”