Dr. Ingve Björn Stjerna, LL.M.

EU Patent Reform: The rapporteurs and the cost situation,

Article on the alleged cost reduction caused by the patent reform and the respective position of the EU Parliament’s former rapporteurs on unitary patent protection and the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (Published on 23/06/2017)

The political operators had always declared it to be a main theme of the European patent reform that it would allow for obtaining and enforcing patent protection at lower costs compared to the traditional system. Nonetheless, at the end of the European legislative process the reform package was adopted without any concrete rules on costs. As is known, neither the subsequently determined renewal fees for unitary patent protection nor the level of reimbursable representation costs at the Unified Patent Court fulfill these promises. The author has contacted the former rapporteurs of the EU Parliament Bernhard Rapkay and Klaus-Heiner Lehne, both of whom had repeatedly emphasized the alleged cost advantages of the new system in the legislative proceedings, asking them for a statement on the cost situation. The answers are sobering.

  • Download English version (Article of 23/06/2017, PDF)
  • Download German version (Article of 23/06/2017, PDF)


Resources:

  • Link to S&D press statement of 11/12/2012 “Rapkay: „Weg frei für das EU-Patent“ – Europäisches Parlament verabschiedet Patent-Paket” (“Green light for the EU patent – European Parliament adopts patent package”) (PDF, German)
  • Link to Bernhard Rapkay’s website (German)
  • Correspondence with Bernhard Rapkay, former rapporteur of the EU Parliament for the Regulation on unitary patent protection (English [translation] or German [original], PDF)
  • Link to the biography on Klaus-Heiner Lehne‘s former website via archive.org (German)
  • Link to the article „Taylor Wessing setzt auf Brüssel“(“Tayor Wessing put their hope in Brussels”) of 24/09/2003 at juve.de (German)
  • Link to Klaus-Heiner Lehne‘s “Declaration of Members’ Financial Interests” of 07/03/2012 (German, PDF)
  • Link to the article „Interessenkonflikt durch Nebentätigkeit: Vorsitzender des EU-Rechtsausschusses verdient mind. 000 Euro in Großkanzlei“ (“Conflict of interest through part-time job: Chairman of the Legal Affairs Committee earns at least 120.000 Euros in law firm”) of 10/05/2012 at abgeordnetenwatch.de (German)
  • Link to the article „Softwarepatente: Koordinator der konservativen Volkspartei in der Schusslinie“ (“Software patents: Coordinator of Conservative People’s Party in the line of fire”) of 23/06/2005 at heise.de
  • Link to the article „Wirbel um Merkels Milliarden-Wächter“ (“Trouble around Merkel’s Watchman over Billions”) of 03/02/2014 at Spiegel Online (German)
  • Link to the article „Umstrittener Wirtschaftsanwalt wechselt an EU-Rechnungshof“ (“Controversial corporate lawyer to join the EU Court of Auditors”) of 04/02/2014 at Spiegel Online (German)
  • Link to the article „Abstruser Unsinn – Neuer EU-Rechnungsprüfer wehrt sich gegen Lobby-Vorwurf“ (“Absurd nonsense – New EU auditor defends himself against lobbying accusation”) of 05/02/2014 at nrz.de (German)
  • Link to the article Artikel „Merkel sendet berüchtigten Industrie-Lobbyisten in EU-Rechnungshof“ (“Merkel sends infamous industry lobbyist to EU Court of Auditors”) of 05/02/2014 at deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de (German)
  • Link to the Düsseldorf bar association lawyer database (German)
  • Correspondence with Klaus-Heiner Lehne, former rapporteur of the EU Parliament for the report on the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (English [translation] or German [original], PDF)
  • Link to Commission Document SWD (2015) 202 final of 28/10/2015 (PDF)


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