Speaking at a conference organised by the Malta Business Bureau and the Parliamentary Secretariat for Small Business & Land, Hon. Jason Azzopardi, Parliamentary Secretary, discussed the legal uncertainties that businesses in European Union (EU) have to face due to divergent rulings on patent protection. Indeed, what is required is an efficient and harmonised set of patent rules for Europe.
Through the creation of a single European patent as proposed by the European Commission, the cost of patents in Europe should decrease by up to 80%. The proposal foresees a patent that will be valid in all Member States, except in Spain and Italy where the proposal has been opposed.
When speaking at the event, the President of the Malta Business Bureau, described the European patent system as a tool to respond to the needs of business of reduced-costs and removal of cross-border administrative burdens.
A number of key experts in the field, present at the event, highlighted how the need that European enterprises’ research and innovation investments are suitably protected.
