Publications, press articles, rankings, awards
Germany has deposited its ratification for the UPC Agreement
Germany has ratified the UPC Agreement on February 17, 2023, see https://www.unified-patent-court.org/en/news/upc-agreement-ratification-breaking-news.
Some criteria for choosing between unitary patent and national validations of the european patent
From 1 January 2023, the period for early uptake of the Unitary Patent begins and related official forms are available on the EPO website. The Unitary Patent system is expected to enter into force on 1 June 2023, when the Unified Patent Court (UPC) should also come into operation, heralding a new era for patent protection in Europe.
Opt-out : actions to be undertaken
As you may know, alongside with the set-up of a patent with unitary effect, a Unified Patent Court (UPC) is being established and will be effective at the end of a “sunrise” period (expected in spring 2023). By default, this UPC court will also have jurisdiction over all your European patent applications and granted European patents (in force or expired since less than 5 years) and deriving SPCs.
Creation of a European patent with unitary effect and a unified patent jurisdiction
Damien Colombié, Industrial Property Attorney, and Camille Pecnard, Attorney at Law at LAVOIX, come back on the impact of the European Patent with Unitary Effect and the Unified Patent Jurisdiction, in page 5 and 6 of the weekly La Semaine Juridique. To read the full article of La Semaine Juridique, click here.
The final rules for the European Patent Litigation Certificate are being adopted on 15th June 2022
Article 48 of the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPCA) defines the obligation for parties to be represented before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Record Filings at the European Patent Office in 2021
Despite the pandemic filings of European patent applications increased again. 188 600 patent applications were received by European Patent Office (EPO) in 2021, which is an increase of 4.5% in comparison to the previous year.
Which Nationality for a patent with unitary effect?
The patents’ nationality in case of joint ownership is determined by Article 7 of Regulation 1257/2012 which states:
How to select the European Patent with the unitary effect (Unitary Patent)
Unitary Patent a unique protection for 17 states in Europe With the recent ratification of Austria, the European Patent with unitary effect (“Unitary Patent”) will be introduced soon.