After 14 years of preparation and work, the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court are finally a reality in the 17 EU member states that, as of 1.6.2023, have ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) (signed by 24 Member States).

US Court finds Google Translate a "useful tool with an alarming capacity for miscommunication and error"

When there is a language barrier, Machine Translation is what everybody would consider for a gist understanding of what the other person is saying or writing. 

The event is planned for 1-2 October 2020 and will take place at the University of Cambridge. If follows and interdisciplinary approach to the study of Langauge and the Law and brings together professionals and researchers from the legal and the linguistic fields.

In 2016, roughly 150,000 requests were made for face-to-face language interpreter and translation services in England and Wales. 97% of these requests were successful.

Unless the case is privately funded, the MoJ obliges to provide these services free of charge. Criminal proceedings make up the majority, followed by tribunal and then civil requests. But calling this a ‘right’ is to stray into murky territory; viewing this more as a ‘custom’ might be more appropriate. While there is no legal right to an interpreter in court, if you ask for one, you will most likely gain access to one.

Will its use make Germany and German law a more attractive option for cross-border commercial litigation after Brexit?

The UK legal market has a strong global position due to the popularity of English law and the English language: some 27% of the world's 320 legal jurisdictions use English Common law. Many private companies also choose to use English for the drafting of their contracts and during ARD, and with the language comes the choice of English law. Further to this, EU membership and the adoption of the current EU regulations on the enforcement of court orders make English orders enforceable throughout the EU in a simple and quick manner in certain qualifying cases.

Based on artificial intelligence, WIPO Translates uses neural machine tranlsation technology, mirrors common language usage.

In a press release published on the 9th of June 2016, The European Commission has announced the final adoption of new rules to cut red tape on citizens’ public documents.

This will cut costs and administrative procedures for citizens who need to present a public document in another EU country.

The BBC forum recently released this interesting take on the future of the translation profession

Machine Translation: The End of the Human Translator?

The Orphan Works Database contains works still protected by copyright but whose authors or other right holders are not known or cannot be located, preventing digitalisation or other use of such materials.

The European Trade Mark and Design Network offers state of the art and user-friendly IP tools across the intellectual property landscape for EU IP offices and individuals.