Astron Clinica stands up in favour of the proposed CII Patents Directive
at European Innovation Day

Cambridge, 22 June 2005 – Annie Brooking, CEO of Astron Clinica, an innovative skin imaging company, today joins executives from Europe’s small and medium high tech companies (SMEs) to demonstrate support for the proposed Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions (CII) at the invitation of EICTA.

“We think of a patent as a corporate asset and like all other assets it is important to get a return on investment from your patents, just like your buildings or your vehicles or your machinery.” Ms Brooking comments.

The SME representatives will be meeting with the main party Presidents and/or their staff, as well as key MEPs involved in the drafting of the directive and the office of President Borrell. To date, the SME Manifesto holds signatures from more than 50 high-tech SMEs throughout Europe and active support continues to grow.

Patents are a vital tool for innovative SMEs. Specialised SME firms protect their inventions from copying by larger rivals, which have easier exposure to the mass-market, with patents. At the same time licensing their technology enables them to make a return on their investment, while encouraging the sharing of their invention.

Raising investment capital is one of the many hurdles for small companies and patents are often a crucial requirement for obtaining funds. A stable and uniform patenting system will help encourage investment into their R&D and enable their businesses to grow. Mark MacGann, EICTA Director General and spokesperson for the European high-tech industry, welcomed the decisive action by European SMEs: “This manifesto and the meetings in Brussels today are strong evidence that Europe’s high-tech SMEs are concerned about losing the opportunity to patent their inventions. They are in favour of the harmonisation that this Directive is trying to achieve, as it will improve access to the single market for their inventions.”

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Notes to Editors:
The SME Manifesto developed from a groundswell of disbelief that the patent system in Europe could be under threat, as it would be if the amendments proposed in the Parliament’s first reading were reintroduced. Some of the SMEs contacted their national trade associations, others contacted EICTA after they read statements by EICTA in the news or saw the www.patents4innovation.org website and realised that companies like theirs were joining together to express their views directly to politicians.

EICTA
EICTA, founded in 1999, is the voice of the Information and Communications Technology and Consumer Electronics Industries in Europe. It comprises 51 major multinational companies and 32 national industry associations from 24 European countries. In all, EICTA represents more than 10,000 companies all over Europe with more than 2 million employees and EUR 1000 billion in revenues.

CII Directive
In our digital era, computer-implemented inventions (CII) are at the heart of all digital technology and are a very significant force behind innovation in Europe in many industry sectors spanning healthcare, telecommunications, mobile phones, motor vehicles, aviation and consumer electronics. These computer-implemented inventions will continue to boost Research and Development (R&D) and secure employment in Europe, as long as patents can adequately protect them. Patent protection currently exists and would be maintained by the political agreement achieved by the Council in May 2004 on the CII Directive, and adopted as a Common Position by the Council on 7th March 2005.

Europe’s high tech industry supports a number of amendments that help clarify the text of the Directive. However, many of the amendments proposed by M Rocard act to exclude important fields of high tech innovation from patent protection. EICTA’s members, together with other key industry sectors, would be unable to sustain current levels of R&D investment in the face of increased copying from overseas. This would prevent European industry from competing internationally; damaging future economic growth and leading to significant job losses.

Astron Clinica
Astron Clinica, based in Cambridge UK designs, develops and brings to market its skin imaging software suite: DERMETRICS® that incorporates its proprietary skin imaging technology SIAscopy. SIAscopy uniquely enables medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry professionals to visualise up to 2mm beneath the surface of the skin using both a proprietary hand held scanner and an off-the shelf digital camera. DERMETRCS® currently provides solutions for malignant melanoma. Its customers include dermatologists, plastic surgeons and in Australia GPs.

Media enquiries
For Astron Clinica:

Lucy Saunders 0777 55 66 074
Email: lucy.saunders@mahseer.co.uk