Harmonizing patent laws within the European Union will yield the biggest benefits for the bloc’s smaller countries, the European Patent Office said Nov. 14.
The EU is weighing whether to create a single patent that would be enforceable in participating member states. The unitary patent and accompanying Unified Patent Court, which would cover most of the EU, is part of a 40-year effort to create a pan-European patent system.
The EPO, which would examine and grant the unitary patent, said in a study about the impact of patent protection on foreign direct investment and trade that the current system ...