유럽투자 InvestEurope.kr

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. This situation discourages research, development and innovation, and undermines Europe’s competitiveness. That is why Europe needs to act so that innovators can protect their inventions at an affordable cost with a single patent covering the entire EU territory with minimum translation costs and without needing to validate that patent at a national level as they currently have to do. Read more »

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 »

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). The amount of money involved in the settlements, between the so-called “originator” pharmaceutical companies and producers of generic drugs also appears to have decreased from more than € 200 million recorded in the sector inquiry period to less than € 1 million in the more recent period, shows a Commission report on the monitoring of patent settlements. Read more »

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. They will allow the Commission to tackle manufacturers’ abuse of warranties when they request that cars are serviced only in authorised garages. The new rules will also reduce distribution costs for new cars by eliminating overly restrictive rules. Read more »

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.

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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.

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. Certain information exchange can be justified in order to allow insurers to accurately assess risks. Pooling is also important in order to ensure that all risks can be covered. These two types of agreements justify a block exemption. Other types of cooperation may also be legal but it will be for insurers to self-assess that they comply with the general competition rules. Read more »

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 »

Starting on 24 February 2010, Commission officials carried out unannounced inspections in several Member States at the premises of companies active in the sector of automotive electrical distribution systems (sometimes referred to as wiring harnesses) and of other components for automotive electronic and electrical distribution systems. The Commission has reason to believe that the companies concerned may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – TFEU and Article 53 of the Agreement on the European Economic Area). The Commission’s investigation is being coordinated with several other competition authorities worldwide. (Source: European Commission)

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:

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