Dr. Ingve Björn Stjerna, LL.M.

EU Patent Reform: Council allows access to withheld documents,

Article on the denial of access to Council documents relating to the “unitary patent package” (Published on 07/03/2016)

The matter attracted some attention during the final phase of the legislative proceedings on the “unitary patent package”: The extensively redacted Council document 15856/11 on the compatibility of the Draft Agreement for the creation of the Unified Patent Court with CJEU opinion 1/09 and the rejection of access requests because this could “ultimately delay or put into question the entry into force of the envisaged international agreement”. Upon the fifth (!) request full access was recently granted. Also two further, initially strongly censored Council documents from the same context were now released upon request. A review of these documents shows: The contents were suppressed in violation of EU Regulation No 1049/2001 and the respective CJEU case law as well as the EU citizen’s fundamental right of access to documents (Art. 42 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights).

  • Download English version (article of 07/03/2016, PDF)
  • Download German version (article of 07/03/2016, PDF)

Resources:

  • Council document 15856/11 of 21/10/2011, original (blackened) version (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 15856/11 of 21/10/2011, second blackened version (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 15856/11 of 21/10/2011, without blackening (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 15856/11 of 21/10/2011, with originally blackened contents marked (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 14520/13 of 11/10/2013 (English, PDF)
  • Council document 14523/13 of 08/11/2013 (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 5926/12 of 02/03/2012 (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 5923/12 of 21/02/2012 (English, PDF)
  • Council document 17244/13 of 12/12/2013 (English, PDF)
  • Council document 17246/13 of 09/01/2014 (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 9039/15 of 12/06/2015 (English, PDF)
  • Council document 9041/15 of 19/06/2015 (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 12704/11 of 11/07/2011 (English, PDF)
  • Council document 17580/11 of 01/12/2011, original (blackened) version (English or German, PDF) 
  • Council document 17580/11 of 01/12/2011, without blackening (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 17580/11 of 01/12/2011, with originally blackened contents marked (English or German, PDF)
  • Council document 18239/11 of 06/12/2011, original (blackened) version (English, PDF)
  • Council document 18239/11 of 06/12/2011, without blackening (English, PDF)
  • Council document 18239/11 of 06/12/2011, with originally blackened contents marked (English, PDF)
  • Council document 6048/12 of 21/02/2012 (English, PDF)
  • Council document 6051/12 of 02/03/2012 (English or German, PDF)
  • “Der Zeitpunkt der Entscheidung war da” (”The time of decision had come”) – Interview by Catrin Behlau and Mathieu Klos of JUVE Rechtsmarkt with Klaus-Heiner Lehne (JUVE Rechtsmarkt 1/2013, p. 87 ff.) (English or German, PDF), published with the kind permission of JUVE GmbH


If you wish to support my work, you can do so here. Many thanks!

Archive