Earlier this week, the UPC announced a delay of two months, pushing the opening date back to 1st June 2023. But what does that mean for IP firms and our clients? We discussed all with leading IP publication, Managing IP in the article below.
Thomas Prock, partner at Marks & Clerk in London, agrees that the issues over access can be resolved.
"We solved this problem ourselves quite a few weeks ago and didn't really need the delay. But I can see that other firms will be relieved to hear the news.
"That said, finding a provider was not straightforward at all," he says.
There had been speculation that the EPO would be forced to react to the latest UPC delay and push the transitional period back.
But applicants will instead have extra time to manage their applications, giving users of the new system an unexpected boost.
"Patent applicants won't have to resort to the costly tactics that would otherwise be needed to delay grant of their patents," says Prock at Marks & Clerk.