British business boost as patent court comes to London
The Prime Minister, David Cameron said: “A vital part of the Court covering the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, in which Britain…
The Prime Minister, David Cameron said:
“A vital part of the Court covering the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, in which Britain excels, will be coming to London. This brings millions of pounds and hundreds of jobs.
“And I secured the changes to the nature of the patent system that businesses were demanding.”
Welcoming the news, Business Secretary, Vince Cable said:
“The Government is committed to the creation of a Europe-wide patent system that brings real benefits for businesses, consumers and the economy.
“I am delighted that agreement has been reached on a new unitary patent for Europe and a new unified patent court based in London, Paris and Munich.
“This is a major success for the UK and for businesses. The deal means for the first time a single patent will be valid across 25 European countries. The reduced translation costs and simplified enforcement regime will help to support innovative companies and make an important contribution to growth across Europe.
“We have listened to our stakeholders, lobbied hard and secured some important decisions in the UK’s favour. The deal will see the Central Division of the Unified Patent Court located in London, Paris, and Munich.
“The key changes to the design of the system will safeguard against delays and uncertainty in settling patent disputes. This was a key concern raised by UK stakeholders.
“This agreement should provide a significant boost to UK and European innovative businesses at a time when new sources of economic growth are important.”
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Notes to editors
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- The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is responsible for the national framework of Intellectual Property rights, comprising patents, designs, trade marks and copyright.
- The IPO’s role is to help manage an IP system that encourages innovation and creativity, balances the needs of consumers and users, promotes strong and competitive markets and is the foundation of the knowledge-based economy.
- The IPO operates in a national and an international environment and its work is governed by national and international law, including various international treaties relating to Intellectual Property (IP) to which the United Kingdom is a party.
- The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.’ It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:
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To create the most competitive tax system in the G20
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To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business
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To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy
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To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.
- BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices and speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See [http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom](http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom) for more information.
Notes to Editors
Contact Information
Name BIS Press Office Job Title
Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone
Fax
Mobile
Email bispress.releases@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Name Veena Mapara Job Title
Division Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Phone 020 7215 5614 Fax
Mobile