Disappointment at Patent Failure

EU competitiveness ministers again failed Thursday to come to an agreement on a patent that could be used throughout the EU. Few were surprised by the failure since the negotiations over creating a single European patent has been ongoing for 30 years. Ministers reached an agreement in principle last year, but rows over translation have since hindered progress. Spain wants more legal status to be given to incorrectly translated documents than Germany can accept, Bloomberg reported. An EU-wide community patent is meant to reduce costs for innovative businesses wishing to protect an invention by patent. A patent covering eight EU countries for eight years costs about 30,000 euro, approximately double the cost in the United States. (Euobserver.com)