Strasbourg, the forgotten patent convention, and the origins of the European patents jurisdiction

Christopher Wadlow, University of East Anglia

Abstract

This article describes the history and origins of the Strasbourg Convention on the Unification of Certain Points of Substantive Law on Patents for Invention from the "Longchambon Proposal" of 1949, through to the end of the first phase of negotiations in about 1955. It describes the rival proposals of Reimer and de Haan, and their reception. Particular attention is given to the proposals by Reimer for a European Court with international jurisdiction over patent matters, and its correspondence to proposals for a European Patents Jurisdiction which are currently under consideration.