On February 17th, the EPO confirmed the official start of the Unitary Patent, which will come into force on 1 June 2023. The validation took place after the German government deposited its instrument of ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) with the Council of the European Union.

It is expected that the Unitary Patent will bring significant benefits to patent applicants in Europe, providing more effective, extended and cost-effective protection.

The new system will be available for all 17 EU Member States that have ratified the UPC Agreement (UPCA). More countries are expected to join in the future.

Operational measures that allow adhesion to the Unitary Patent system for patent applicants who receive notifications of intent concession before 1 June 2023 are already in force.

For more information about the European Unitary Patent System (PU) contact us at info@inventa.com

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