UK Referendum On EU Membership

We write following the result of yesterday's referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, in which UK voters chose to leave the EU.

There is inevitably some uncertainty as to how the UK's relationship with the EU will change in the coming months and years. However, as a first observation, we would note that there is no immediate change in relation to intellectual property law. It is likely to be months if not years before the position changes substantively. In the meantime, we provide some initial observations.

Patents

The UK's membership of the EU has no effect at all on its membership of the European Patent Organisation. As such, European Patents will continue to cover the UK and we will continue to be able to represent clients in all matters before the European Patent Office, as acknowledged by EPO President Benoît Battistelli. Similarly membership of the EU has no effect on any national patents or applications, nor does it have any effect on