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.
