European Patent languages

With the excuse of reducing costs, the European Commission – after decades of discussion – intends to launch the Community patent, without recognizing Italian as an official language. It seems that only English, German and French will be recognized as official languages.
It is clear that if Italian were excluded, the whole Italian industrial and economic system would be heavily penalized. If this decision is confirmed, there would be a further limit not only to the free competition of Italian Companies, to the advantage of German and French ones, but also, and not only, a cultural limit.
On other occasions too, Italy saw big institutional changes and missed opportunities, also in the field of industrial property. It is only to be hoped that the mistakes of the past will help to form a united front, at least prepared to have Italian recognized as official language in European patent procedures.

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