Our friend Marlou van de Braak has directed our attention to an article by journalist Jeroen Segenhout, published yesterday in leading Dutch newspaper
Het Financieele Dagblad. This piece alludes to the current state of play in The Netherlands regarding the new European patent regime for Europe and contains a couple of notable comments from veteran Dutch patent litigation expert
Willem Hoyng.
"The Netherlands still has not ratified the establishment treaty of the UPC. It is also not very motivated to push forward The Hague, its own international legal capital, as a local division alongside the central courts in Munich, Paris and London.
‘That is very disappointing. The Netherlands should be leading with a European patent court, especially now we are always boasting about innovation. Germany is already busy promoting its court. We are in danger of losing the battle.’
Hoyng says he is not preaching to his own parish.
‘You almost see them thinking at the Ministry of Economic Affairs: that fellow Hoyng is a lawyer, he wants to make money [sadly, this reflects the cynical attitude expressed by some European and national legislators when faced with expert advice on the form which the new European patent package should take]. But if the government does not take a pro-active position, it runs the risk of losing a lot of expertise.’
Willem's firm Hoyng Monegier actually stands to do well whether The Netherlands takes up the challenge or not, since it has just merged with German IP practice Reimann Osterrieth Köhler Haft to form Hoyng ROKH Monegier.
