The Gazette 1996

GAZETTE

JUNE 1996

c o n c i se guide to the European patent

system and contains the essential

principles of the procedural and

substantive law of the European patent

system. It is an ideal book for those

wh o do not require the broader ambit

of the main work but require a basic

understanding of h ow the European

patents system works. The book opens

with an outline of the European Patent

S y s t em and then takes the reader

through the examination, opposition

and appeal procedures. Procedural

remedies are then discussed f o l l ow ed

by amendment of the specification.

The section dealing with patentable

subject matter is only 12 pages long

but explains in a very succinct way

what can be a very difficult area. The

final three sections deal with priority,

novelty and inventive step.

The book is lucidly written and very

well laid out and provides an ideal

introduction to the student or solicitor

practitioner to European patent law

and practice. Despite being a c o n c i se

guide the book contains references to

all relevant cases and has an e x t e n s i ve

I index and full Table of Treaties,

Conventions, Rules and Protocols.

Ken

Parkinson

European Patent Materials

and Index

E d i t e d b y V o i d e r V o s s i u s, C o r i n na

V o s s i us a n d T i l m e n V o s s i u s;

P u b l i s h ed by S w e e t & Ma x w e l l,

1 9 9 5; p a p e r b a c k; 2 6 5 p p; S t g £ 3 2 . 0 0.

This b o ok contains the latest version

of the text of the European Patent

Co n v e n t i on on the Grant of European

Patents, the European Patent

Co n v e n t i on Ru l es and F e es Rules,

Ru l es of Procedure for the Boards of

Appeal and Enlarged Board, No t i c es

from the European Patent o f f i ce

regarding procedure and again a very

detailed index. Apart from bringing

together for the specialist practitioner

] the principle legislation and materials

relevant to European Patents the book

will also serve as a c omp a n i on v o l ume

to Mr. Paterson's Co n c i se Guide.

Ken

Parkinson

The European Patent System

the Law and Practice of the

European Patent Convention

First Supplement

by G e r a ld P a t e r s o n. P u b l i s h ed by

S w e e t & Ma x w e l l, 1 9 9 4; p a p e r b a c k;

S t g £ 3 0 . 0 0.

The European Patent S y s t em which is

Mr. Paterson's more c omp r e h e n s i ve

v o l ume was published in Augu st

1992. S i n ce that time there have been

a considerable number of d e c i s i ons

and opinions necessitating the

publication of this First Supplement.

For e x amp le the Enlarged Board of

Appeal has issued d e c i s i ons and

opinions concerning twenty points of

law. In addition the Boards of Appeal

have issued b e t we en 4 0 and 5 0

d e c i s i o ns each year which, because of

their importance, are published in the

official Journal of the EPO. Like the

main work the First Supplement

benefits from the author's lucid and

easily c omp r e h e nd ed style. For those

wh o have the main work the First

Supplement is an essential purchase.

Ken

Parkinson

Milk Quotas, European

Community and United

Kingdom Law

B y M i c h a el Ca r dw e l l. P u b l i s h ed by

O x f o r d Un i v e r s i ty P r e s s, h a r d b a c k,

3 0 0 p p, S t g £ 4 5.

Milk has been referred to as the "white

! gold" of Ireland. The Irish dairy

industry is remarkably successful. In

1993 1111 million gallons of milk

were produced in Ireland, the dairy

industry emp l o y ed an estimated 7 , 0 00

people and the turnover in this sector

was £ 1 , 1 50 million. It is against this

j background that one can appreciate the

importance of milk quotas for Irish

farmers.

Since 1984 wh en milk quotas were

introduced they have b e c ome a

prominent and very controversial

feature of the C ommon Agricultural

Policy. Throughout the European

I Un i on there is n ow a lucrative and

Practice For Sale

Mid West:

Sole practitioner selling practice,

will consider complete retirement

or other arrangement.

Contact:

Solicitor Link, The Law Society,

Blackhall Place, Dublin 7.

Ph. 671 0711

vigorous trade in quotas, nowhere

more so than in Ireland. Many Irish

solicitors n ow deal with milk quotas

on a daily basis. Conveyancers in a

rural area or advisors to co-operatives

or the food industry in particular are

well aware of their significance. The

recognition of their importance was

seen by the very successful seminar on

the topic held recently by the Irish

Centre for European Law (at which the

author of this work was one of the

speakers).

The legal regulation of milk quotas has

an importance that extends b e y ond

agriculture. The single largest body of

cases before the European Court of

Justice concern the CAP with milk

quota cases taking a leading role. Milk

quota cases have played a very

important role in d e v e l op i ng EU law.

Though there are a handful of texts on

European Agricultural Law, the legal

regime governing milk quotas had

never been squarely addressed. The

lack of a text in this highly c omp l ex

area was deplorable. This lacuna has

been triumphantly filled by "Milk

Quotas, European Commu n i ty and

United K i n g d om Law".

This book succinctly sets the law

concerning milk quotas. Its primary

value will be as a resource b o ok for

practitioners. Details are given of the

myriad of Regulations concerning this

area and all the major cases are

covered. Milk quota legislation is very

c omp l ex and the author very capably

contextualises and explains it. The

: first half of the book sets out the legal

regulation of agriculture by the

European Union. The author e x am i n es

the reasons for the introduction of milk

quotas, analyses the Regulations wh i ch

initially introduced them and the major

157