The patent prosecution and litigation landscape in Europe is about to see the biggest change since the European Patent Office was established by the European Patent Convention in the 1970s. These changes are the result of the Unified Patent Court Agreement, which was signed way back in 2013 and which is now, finally, being brought into effect. There are two things to consider, related but separate: first, the Unitary Patent, and second, the Unified Patent Court or "UPC". This video also covers:
- Which countries does the UP cover?
- What key changes to patent holders need to be aware of when validating a UP? Key change: Instead of validating granted European patents on a purely national basis, proprietors are going to be able to choose to validate the patent as a "unitary patent"
- Are all European Patent Convention states participating?
You can learn more in our series of short UPC and UP videos here
To speak directly to a member of our UPC team please email upc@marks-clerk.com
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.