Not out yet, Britain backs EU patent court

Britain pleased and surprised some of its European Union partners on Monday by pledging to ratify a new, unified patent system for the bloc even though London is about to leave the EU. Slovak Economy Minister Peter Ziga, who chaired a meeting of EU counterparts in Brussels, told reporters he was "very pleased" that Britain had committed to be ready to ratify the international agreement in the first half of next year. Ratification by Britain, one of the EU's three biggest economies, was a conditi