Referendum on Patent Court set to be postponed

Michael Bolton

The referendum on the Unified Patent Court now looks like it won't go ahead.

The poll was set to be held in early June alongside the local and European elections.

It’s understood the Government now believes there isn't enough time left to explain and campaign for the patent court.

The Unified Patent Court aims to make it easier for businesses and inventors to copyright their ideas and inventions across the EU – meaning they would only need to make one patent application instead of several.

The court opened in June last year and has 17 EU countries as members.

The Government said in January it had approved the drafting of a bill that would allow Ireland to take part in the patent court.

Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke says the referendum is now likely to held on a later date.

"I will be bringing a memo in relation to the Patent Court which I will be sending out to Government in relation to the postponement of it potentially for a future date. We have to see what Government says in relation to that.

"Also, if we look at the real politics, we are about seven weeks out from the dates of the loacl and European elections, and that is the date the court referendum was set to take place.

"Obviously, it is a big challenge in terms of getting information out there. We saw with the previous referendum commission, they needed about a 14, 15 week period, and we still have not got the legislation through the Seanad at this stage."