IP: Commission proposes translation arrangements for future EU Patent
A proposal on translation arrangements for a future EU Patent, the final element needed for a single EU Patent to become a reality, has been presented today by the European Commission. Today, obtaining a patent in Europe costs ten times more than one in the US. Read more »
Posted: Juli 29th, 2010 under Intellectual Property.
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REACH: New Manual - how to jointly submit Chemical Safety Reports
Registrants who are part of a joint submission can decide to submit their Chemical Safety Report (CSR) jointly or separately. New Manual 19 ‘How to jointly submit Chemical Safety Reports’, outlines the principles which should be followed in that event. Read more »
Posted: Juli 8th, 2010 under REACH.
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IP & Antitrust: Decrease of potentially problematic patent settlements in EU pharma sector
The number of patent settlements in the pharmaceutical sector that are potentially problematic under the European Union’s antitrust rules fell to 10% of total patent settlements in the sector in the period July 2008 to December 2009 compared with 22% in the period covered in last year’s inquiry into the pharmaceutical sector (January 2000-June 2008). Read more »
Posted: Juli 7th, 2010 under Antitrust, Intellectual Property.
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Antitrust: Commission adopts revised competition rules for motor vehicle distribution and repair
The European Commission has adopted new competition rules for agreements between vehicle manufacturers and their authorised dealers, repairers and spare parts distributors. The new rules will increase competition in the market for repair and maintenance by improving access to technical information needed for the repairs and by making it easier to use alternative spare parts.
Posted: Mai 28th, 2010 under Antitrust.
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Mergers: Commission approves proposed acquisition of Samsung Digital Imaging by Samsung Electronics
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of the South Korean cameras manufacturer Samsung Digital Imaging Co, Ltd (SDIC), by the South Korean consumer electronics producer Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd (SEC). After examining the operation, the Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.
Posted: März 31st, 2010 under Merger Control.
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IP: DG Enterprise and Industry launches public consultation on the European Standardisation System
The consultation aims to gather feedback from stakeholders on the review of the European Standardisation System and to gather input on its possible development and strengthening for the benefit of all interested parties. European standards are aimed at enhancing SME competitiveness by facilitating access to the Single Market. The system is supported by national standards organisations and the participation of the industry.
The consultation will run from 23rd March until 21st May 2010.
Posted: März 30th, 2010 under Intellectual Property.
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Antitrust: Commission adopts new Block Exemption Regulation for insurance sector
The European Commission has adopted a new Regulation that block exempts certain types of agreements in the insurance sector from the EU’s general prohibition of practices restrictive of competition. The new Block Exemption Regulation (BER), which will come into force on the 1st of April, renews two of the four categories of agreements currently exempted, namely joint compilations, tables and studies, and co(re)insurance pools, with some amendments. Read more »
Posted: März 25th, 2010 under Antitrust.
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IP: The European Parliament has adopted a resolution on the transparency and state of play of the ACTA negotiations
The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), a multilateral agreement currently under secret negotiation that aims to strengthen the enforcement of intellectual property rights and combat counterfeiting and piracy of goods. Read more »
Posted: März 18th, 2010 under Intellectual Property.
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FTA: Formal Signing of the Korea-EU FTA
Korea and the EU agreed to formally sign the Korea-EU FTA in April 2010, reaffirming their commitments to the entry into force of the Agreement in 2010. Furthermore, Korea and the EU agreed to make necessary modifications on the text of the Korea-EU FTA which was initialed on October 15, 2009, reflecting the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on December 1, 2009 and the change of the tariff reduction formula:
Posted: Februar 11th, 2010 under Korea-EU FTA.
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Mergers: The Commission’s electronic investigative platform “eQuestionnaire” introduced
In December 2009 the Commission introduced the web-based application “eQuestionnaire” in its merger market investigations. This application will be progressively introduced in certain antitrust investigations in the future. Read more »
Posted: Januar 1st, 2010 under Merger Control.
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