!083094 EC to standarize design patent laws The European Community Commission located in Belgium, wants all industrial designs and models protected through an EU-wide patent registration. To further this goal, the ECC has begun to centralize EU patent and trademark registration. Currently there are many discrepancies among the EU states regarding the duration and type of protetion a design can receive. Only Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have a common system, with a 15-year protection period. Germany guarantees protection for 20 years, France for 50 years, and Spain for 10. Other countries, like Greece, do not have any specific laws assuring protection. An EU-wide registration system should come into effect late this year. Greg Aharonian Internet Patent News Service