Although the surprise announcement that there will be an early
General Election in the UK means that the final stages of the
UK's procedure for ratifying the Unified Patent Court Agreement
(UPCA) have temporarily been put on hold, Germany has made
significant progress lately.
In March, both houses of the German Parliament approved draft
legislation amending German patent law and permitting ratification
of the UPCA.
There is one further piece of legislation to be approved before
Germany can deposit its instrument of ratification with the EU
Council. This is the legislation necessary to implement the
Protocol on Privileges and Immunities of the Unified Patent
Court.
Draft legislation in this regard was approved by the Bundestag
(the lower house) on 27 April. Approval by the Bundesrat (the upper
house) was expected to occur on 12 May, but this failed to
materialise. Instead, the legislation has been listed for
discussion in the Bundesrat's next session on 2 June.
