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Le protocole sur l’application provisoire de l’accord JUB
Le Protocole à l’Accord relatif à une Juridiction unifiée du brevet sur l’application provisoire (le PAP‑Protocole) a été initialement signé le 1er octobre 2015 pour établir une phase d’application provisoire (PAP) afin d’assurer « une transition en douceur vers la phase opérationnelle et garantir le bon fonctionnement de la Juridiction unifiée du brevet avant l’entrée en vigueur de l’Accord ».
Le gouvernement fédéral allemand a officiellement ratifié la loi d’approbation de la JUB le 13 août
La publication de la loi au Journal officiel fédéral met enfin un terme aux complications juridiques qui bloquaient le processus de ratification allemand et, par conséquent, l’établissement de la Juridiction unifiée du brevet (JUB).
Mais cela ne signifie pas que la JUB peut enfin commencer à fonctionner.
Avant que la JUB ne puisse réellement ouvrir ses portes, la phase préparatoire doit débuter.
L’Allemagne prévoit de ratifier le Protocole sur l’application provisoire au début de l’automne.
Selon ce Protocole, certaines parties de l’Accord JUB seront appliquées provisoirement avant son entrée pleinement en vigueur.
Pour que ce Protocole entre en vigueur, deux autres États membres de l’Accord JUB doivent encore le signer.
La mise en œuvre de ce Protocole dépend désormais d’un processus de ratification rapide par les juridictions des États membres.
Selon Alexander Ramsay, chef du Comité préparatoire de la JUB, il pourrait y avoir une JUB opérationnelle fin 2022, ou éventuellement début 2023 « si tout se passe bien ».
Again, and again: the UPC agreement is further challenged in Germany
Although the German Parliament («Bundesrat») recently voted in favor of the ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) (that we reported here), and despite the political will (see there), the German ratification of the UPCA is again put on hold.
The German Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) advised that that two new constitutional complaints were filed on the very same day on which the Bundesrat approved the ratification (18th December 2020).
One of the complaint, filed by Düsseldorf lawyer Ingve Stjerna, who already filed an earlier constitutional complaint in 2017, aims at obtaining an interim order to cease the ratification process until a decision on the merits.
The content of the complaints is not yet known.
In any case, and as a result of these complaints, the Federal Presidency already confirmed that the ratification process will be deferred until the case is cleared by the FCC.
The German Parliament (Bundestag) has already filed on 8 January 2021 a statement in the proceedings for the grant of an interim injunction. Further, on January 13, 2021 the German Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection has recommended that the Bundestag also takes part and files further statements in the main proceedings.
The FCC can dismiss the complaints as inadmissible or examine them on their merits. If interim injunction will be accepted and the decision will be taken only in the main proceedings, this would then severely delay the process. Indeed, the first FCC decision was issued three years after the filing of the first complaint.
This new hurdle together with the departure of the UK from the EU and the UPC opens a new chapter in the long story of the implementation of the unitary patent package in the EU.
The current state of play towards the set up of the Unified Patent Court
The Unified Patent Court Agreement will enter into a provisional preparatory stage once 13 signatory states of the Agreement including Germany, France and the United Kingdom and having ratified said Agreement have ratified or expressed their consent to be bound by the Protocol on Provisional Application (A.3(1) of the Protocol).
France ratified the Agreement and also ratified the Protocol on 23 May 2017.
Lately (27th September 2021), Germany deposited its instrument of ratification of the Protocol and is expected to ratify the Agreement once the preparatory work has progressed sufficiently and the participating Member States are confident that the UPC can start in an orderly manner.
On the same day, Slovenia also ratified the Protocol, but has not yet ratified the Agreement.
As of today, 10 of the required 13 UPC states have ratified the Protocol (France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden). Austria and Malta are expected to be the next ones.
As reported by the Unified Patent Court Preparatory Committee, « it is expected that the two further required ratifications will soon be attained triggering the implementation of the UPC as an international organization ».
Austrian parliament choses to ratify the PAP-Protocol
Yesterday, December 2nd, 2021, the Austrian Bundesrat (second chamber of the Austrian Parliament) approved unanimously the Protocol to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court on provisional application (the PAP-Protocol) of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA).
This means that once the Austrian Government will have deposited the corresponding instrument of ratification, Austria will be the 13th country to join the PAP-Protocol and the UPCA will enter into the provisional preparatory stage.
As explained previously on this blog (see here), this choice of the Austrian Parliament may render possible the beginning of the United Patent Court by the end of 2022.
EPO announces raise of fees from 1 april 2022
The EPO’s Rules relating to Fees have been amended by decision of the Administrative Council of 15 December 2021. The amended version of the Rules relating to Fees is applicable as from 1 April 2022.
An evaluation of the fee adjustments indicates a general increase of about 2.5% for most fees.
Raised fees concern in particular the fees for:
– Filing fee (EP regional phase) : 130 EUR (increased by 5 EUR),
– Filing fee (direct EP application) : 130 EURO (increased by 5 EUR),
– Search fee : 1390 EUR (increased by 40 EUR),
– Designation fee: 630 EUR (increased by 20 EUR),
– Examination fee: 1750 EUR (increased by 50 EUR),
– Opposition fee: 840 EUR (increased by 25 EUR),
– Appeal fee: 2785 EUR (increased by 80 EUR),
– Grant fee (not more than 35 pages): 990 EUR (increased by 30 EUR)
– Grant fee (more than 35 pages): 990 EUR (increased by 30 EUR) plus 16 EUR for the 36th and each subsequent page (increased by 1 euro).
As a consequence, in case procedural steps for EPO patents or patent applications are due in mid-2022 or in case you wish to use any of the EPO’s services concerned by the fee raise, it can be worthwhile to take the necessary steps so that the respective fee can be paid before 1 April 2022.
For more details on the new fee schedule, it may be referred to the corresponding communication from the EPO available under :
– https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2022/01/a2.html.