Absence of Common Patent filing system in EU causes stear among the members and affected SMEs worst

Since 1970, European Union (then European Community) is trying to gain consensus on  the common patent filing  system. Till now an applicant has to filed application in all member countries in their individual language, which involved translations a costly affair for SMEs. However a proposal to file patent applications in English, French or German or in the official tongue of the country in which a firm is based, has spurt new controversy as French and Spanish are stuck to include their language as official language for any such system. Read more from Ip-watch