PATENT OFFICE REASSERTS ITS COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY PATENT

Added: (Mon Oct 22 2001)

Pressbox (Press Release) - The Director of Patents at the Patent Office, Ron Marchant, reinforced the agency’s commitment to the Community Patent at Europe’s biggest intellectual property conference PATINNOVA and EPIDOS held in the UK for the first time this week.

When he spoke at the event in Cardiff hosted by the European Commission and European Patent Office in conjunction with the UK Patent Office, Mr Marchant said that the agency was striving for a successful outcome to the European negotiations which would provide the best possible service for patent applicants: “The UK believes that the system must provide legal certainty, affordability, user responsiveness, procedural efficiency, simplicity, and non-discrimination. It must be viable for all users, both large and small, complement the existing system and make optional use of resources and expertise.”

Mr Marchant explained that the conference had been held in the UK at a time when patents, trade marks, copyright and design rights were having more of an effect on business and academic organisations: “Intellectual Property Rights, their acquisition, use, and enforcement are increasingly important in an economy where growth is more and more the result of the successful exploitation of knowledge rather than based on use of raw materials and labour.”

With over 500 visitors and over 50 exhibitors attending the conference held on 15-18 October, Mr Marchant said that the event had succeeded in bringing together a healthy mix of parties involved in innovation: “It was an excellent opportunity for delegates to discuss matters close to their hearts. Speakers covered a whole range of topics central to intellectual property at the moment including harmonisation across Europe, the needs of SMEs and technology transfer between universities and industry.”

For more information on intellectual property visit the UK Patent Office website at www.patent.gov.uk or the government intellectual property portal at www.intellectual-property.gov.uk


-Ends-

Issued by Prowse & Co on behalf of the Patent Office

For more press information please contact:
Deborah Fields/Vicki Fletcher at Prowse & Co on 01372 363386 or e-mail deborah@prowse.co.uk or vicki@prowse.co.uk
Gary Townley at The UK Patent Office on 01633 814345.

Notes to editors:

The PATINNOVA (Patents in Innovation) conference is organised by the European Commission.

EPIDOS (European Patent Information and Documentation Systems) is organised by the European Patent Office.


News release is available online at
http://www.prowse.co.uk/newsf.html

19 October 2001