BRUSSELS, Feb 15 (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers backed a simpler and cheaper patent system in the 27-country European Union, seeking to help European companies compete better with rivals in China and other strongly growing economies.
The region-wide patenting system proposed by the European Commission is supported by 25 member states, but opposed by Italy and Spain, who want their languages to be included in the translation regime.
"As the emerging economies are literally breathing down Europe's neck, it is essential that the right operational circumstances are created to keep our world-leading innovation ahead," British member of the European Parliament Sajjad Karim said in a statement on Tuesday. Another British MEP, Malcolm Harbour, said it was time the EU acted to resolve a five-decade-old issue held up by disputes over the number of languages used, among other problems.
"As China is now a major patenting power, it's time we took action," he said.
The current European system is essentially a collection of national patents which have to be validated in each country, pushing up costs of a patent to as much as 20,000 euros or 10 times more than its U.S. equivalent.
"We have made a proposal that is politically acceptable and economically necessary," EU Internal Markets Commissioner Michel Barnier said in a statement.
"This means that patent protection will be accessible to all EU companies, regardless of where they are based in the EU."
EU ministers are set to adopt the Commission's proposal on March 9 or 10. The EU executive will then draft legislation to set up the regime. Spain and Italy can join in the scheme whenever they want. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)