Patents
The UPC is finally here!
June 01, 2023
After years of planning and preparation, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has finally opened its doors, and the relevant law come into effect.
It’s been a project almost 50 years in the making: the UPC has finally opened its doors today, and the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) has come into effect.
This means that, it is now possible to request that a European patent application is validated as a single patent that covers all participating member states (currently 17) of the UPCA, instead of individually choosing particular countries.
The new court will also have default jurisdiction over all existing European patents and applications. If you want your existing patents and applications to be covered by the individual laws of the countries they’re validated in, it will be necessary to opt out from the court.
We’ve been closely following the progress of the court and the law, so our experts are all ready to assist you in dealing with the new processes – whether you’d like to obtain a UP, opt out from the court, or just learn a bit more about what this all means. Just get in contact with the attorney responsible for your work, or Elizabeth O’Leary at [email protected].
Elizabeth O'Leary
Associate