Press Release: Commission adopts new safe harbour for licensing of patents, know-how and software copyright

The European Commission adopted on 7 April 2004 new rules for applying competition policy to the licensing of patents, know-how and software copyright. The rules reduce bureaucracy and increase legal certainty for companies as more licensing agreements will benefit from a regulatory safe harbour, saving many agreements from individual scrutiny. They will also effectively contribute to the dissemination of technology and know how within the European Union, in line with the objectives set at the Lisbon Council in 2001. The new policy is part of the fundamental reform of the enforcement rules for antitrust which will come into force on 1 May 2004.