A centralised European patent court came a step closer at the beginning of November, following the publication of draft rules of procedure by a committee of European patents judges. In the light of the progress of any European harmonisation so far, those in the UK patent profession should not, however, hold their breath.

At present, the only European cooperation on patents is via the European Patent Office (EPO) based in Munich. The EPO offers a centralised procedure for the grant of a patent.