Minister Sherlock welcomes draft Bill to streamline patent costs

6 October 2011

The Minister for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, TD, today [Thursday] welcomed the passage of the Patents (Amendment) Bill 2011 through Second Stage in Dáil Eireann. This short Bill will enable Ireland accede to the London Agreement on patents. The aim of this Agreement is to streamline existing translation requirements for European Patents, lower costs, particularly for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

As well as lowering costs for enterprises registering European patents, the Patents (Amendment) Bill 2011 will make Ireland a more attractive location to register European patents. This is in line with the Government’s broader objective of making Ireland an international hub for intellectual property.

Minister Sherlock told the Dáil that “the overall aim of the London Agreement is to reduce costs of translations across the 38 Member States by 50%.” He added that enacting the Bill would “further support Ireland’s efforts to generate economic growth through promoting and innovating better processes and products.”

Notes for Editors

The London Agreement was signed in 2000 and came into effect in May 2008. The optional Agreement applies to the 38-member European Patent Office (a non-EU body). Once the Agreement comes into force in Ireland, patents in French and German will be valid in Ireland without requiring translation. However, the claims of the patent will still be available in English.

ENDS