31 January 2020 marked the UK's official exit from the
EU.
So what does "Brexit" mean for intellectual
property?
The short answer is: nothing, yet. Although the UK will not,
now, participate in the future Unified Patent Court and unitary
patent system as and when they get off the ground.
However, changes to the current regime will occur with effect
(it is presently expected) from 31 December 2020. The exact changes
depend on the terms of any agreement(s) yet to be reached between
the UK and the EU addressing their legal relationship from 31
December 2020.
In this article we provide, first, a summary of the changes
expected from 31 December 2020 for intellectual property. We then
continue with more in-depth commentary outlining: the current legal
relationship between the UK and the EU; the legal relationship
between the UK and the EU after 31 December 2020, and how EU law
will apply in the UK; and exhaustion of intellectual property
rights after 31 December
