There are indications that the Government will postpone the planned constitutional referendum on the Unified Patent Court planned for June.
Newly appointed Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke will bring a memo to the Cabinet next week outlining next steps in the process but it appears likely that the vote will not now take place on 7 June.
It was intended that the referendum question would be put to the people on the same day as the European and local elections.
Ireland agreed to opt into the United Patents Court in 2013 and is obliged to ratify Ireland’s participation in the court.
The court would adjudicate on patents litigation.
An amendment to Article 29 of the Constitution would be required as it entails a transfer of jurisdiction in patent litigation from the Irish courts to an international court.
Ibec has said that Ireland stands to gain significantly through participating in the specialist pan-European court system and that it would help grow our patent-intensive sectors.
Explainer: What is the upcoming patent referendum about?
