[A2k] Commission launches strategy on Industrial Property Rights

Wed Jul 16 13:12:29 2008

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http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=3DIP/08/1157&type=
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*IP/08/1157*

Brussels, 16 July 2008
*Industrial Property Rights: Commission launches strategy to drive
innovation from the laboratory to the marketplace*

*The European Commission today adopted a Communication on a new industrial
property rights strategy for Europe. Together with the creation of a
Community patent and integrated patent jurisdiction, the Communication
outlines a number of actions as the keystone to maintain a high quality
industrial property rights system for the EU in the 21st century. It sets
out to support inventors in making informed choices on the protection of
their industrial property rights and calls for robust enforcement against
counterfeiting and piracy. The Communication also aims to ensure that
industrial property rights in Europe are of high quality and that they are
accessible to all innovators, particularly small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).*

Mr Charlie McCreevy, Commissioner for Internal Market and Services said: *"=
This
strategy will offer a springboard for European companies to compete in the
global economy. Not only will it help inventors across Europe to protect
their ideas with strong industrial property rights, but it will also provid=
e
a catalyst for cutting-edge inventions from companies of all sizes to becom=
e
successful in the market. In addition, the Communication reinforces once
more that the EU will strike hard at counterfeiting and piracy."*

A strong industrial property rights system is a driving force for
innovation, stimulating R&D investment and facilitating the transfer of
knowledge from the laboratory to the marketplace. Along with the urgent
adoption of the Community patent proposal and creation of an integrated
EU-wide jurisdiction for patents, the actions proposed will ensure Europe
has a high quality industrial property rights system in the years to come:

=B7      Effective enforcement on the ground against counterfeiting and
piracy. This is reaching alarming levels with damaging effects to job
creation in Europe and the heath and safety of consumers. In addition to
improving coordination between key enforcement actors at a national level,
the Commission will work towards effective cooperation between Member State=
s
in intelligence gathering and rapid information exchange on counterfeit and
pirated goods. Furthermore, the Commission will help facilitate agreements
involving both the public and private sector to crack down on blatant
violations of intellectual property rights.

=B7      Ensuring high-quality industrial property rights in Europe that ar=
e
accessible to all innovators, including small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs). To achieve this, the Commission will undertake studies on the
quality of the patent system and on the overall functioning of the trademar=
k
systems in the EU. This would also include the Community trademark, which
the Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market has been successfully
registering for over 10 years. .

=B7      Facilitating exploitation by SMEs of industrial property rights. T=
he
Communication outlines measures to facilitate access to industrial property
rights and dispute resolution procedures, and to improve awareness among
SMEs of the management of industrial property as an integral element within
an overall business plan.

*More information on Industrial Property is available at:*

http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/indprop/rights/index_en.htm

MEMO/08/509<http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=3DMEMO/=
08/509&format=3DHTML&aged=3D0&language=3DEN&guiLanguage=3Dfr>

Anne-Catherine Lorrain

Intellectual Property Policy Expert

TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD)
Avenue de Tervueren, 36 Bte 4
1040 Bruxelles

Mob (Belgium): +32 473 99 97 92

Cell (US): +1 202 390 6264
Tel: +32 2 740 28 17
Fax: +32 2 740 28 02
www.tacd.org

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