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Sunday, February 08, 2004

The schedule of the Council of the European Union (Competitiviness) for Intellectual Property issues.

Document 5928/04 on a meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Internal Market of the European Parliament with Ms. Mary HARNEY, President of the Council of the European Union (Competitiviness configuration), in Brussels on 21 and 22 January 2004, the General Secretariat of the Council gives us a clue about the schedule of the Council of the European Union (Competitiviness) for Intellectual Property issues during the Irish Presidency:

"[...] After making these general remarks, Ms. HARNEY made more specific comments on individual legislative files of particular interest to the Committee:

[...]

- the Community patent file on which the Irish Presidency will try to reach an agreement in the Council (Competitiveness) on the 11th of March 2004;

- the patentability of computer-implemented inventions, on which the Council will examine carefully the EP's opinion at first reading with a view to reaching an agreement on a common position in the Council in May 2004;

- the proposal for a Directive on measures and procedures to ensure the enforcement of intellectual property rights, on which the Presidency is working with the rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs, as well as the Commission, with a view to seeking an agreement at first reading;

[...]"

Moreover, that paper says that, in the exchange of views that followed, Mr. LEHNE (PPE-DE/DE) pointed out that the Council wants to reach an agreement about the European patent, but he expressed his concern about the high cost of the translations, which is a disadvantage for medium size enterprises.

It seems to be quite clear that the Irish Presidency is determined to tackle the problems with the Draft Directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions. This matter will not be put on ice.

Moreover, from

Document 5615/04 we learn that, within the context of the "Lisbon Strategy", the Community Patent is set to be finalised before the end of term of the European Parliament, provided a political consensus can be reached. Other matters, in particular the enforcement of intellectual property rights, the Community patent as far as the jurisdiction proposal and the Munich Convention (EPC) are concerned, as well as the patentability of computer-implemented inventions are said to be due before mid-term review in March 2005.

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