ESA welcomes European rights plan

The European Software Association is very enthusiastic about support for a new industry property directive strategy for Europe.

The European Commission has published a communication on an industrial property rights strategy for Europe. Along with the urgent adoption of the Community patent proposal and creation of an integrated EU-wide jurisdiction for patents, the actions proposed aim to ensure that Europe has a high quality industrial property rights system in the years to come. The actions proposed include effective enforcement on the ground against counterfeiting and piracy.

The Commission will work towards effective cooperation between Member States in intelligence gathering and rapid information exchange on counterfeit and pirated goods. The Commission will also help facilitate agreements involving both the public and private sector to crack down on blatant violations of intellectual property rights.· It also aims at ensuring high-quality industrial property rights in Europe that are accessible to all innovators, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

To achieve this, the Commission will undertake studies on the quality of the patent system and on the overall functioning of the trademark systems in the EU.