The UPC Preparatory Committee has announced that a provisional timetable for the entry into force of the new Unified Patent Court (UPC) and Unitary Patent (UP) will be delayed.
The targeted date for entry into force was December 2017. A new timetable is expected to be announced shortly.
The UPC can enter into force once a threshold number of EU states have both ratified the UPC Agreement and consented to a protocol for a 'provisional application period' of the UPC – a preparatory period for activities such as the recruitment of judges.
The reason given for the delay is that the provisional application period cannot begin in due time without the threshold number of consenting states.
More progress has been made with respect to ratification of the UPC Agreement, which will be complete once the UK and Germany have ratified.
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