The UK has given its final approval of the new Unified Patent Court (UPC) and the new Unitary Patent on 26 April 2018.
On that day, the UK deposited its ratification of the UPC Agreement with the Council of the EU. Provided that Germany also gives its final approval of the Court, this means that the new Court could open its doors by the end of 2018 or the beginning of 2019.
Germany’s approval is still waiting for the outcome of a complaint against the new system filed by a German citizen with the Constitutional Court of Germany.
As of yet, it is difficult to predict when the German Constitutional Court will give its decision. In the meantime, V.O.’s project team for the Unitary Patent has intensified its preparations for the new system. We will inform you in more detail when the definitive starting date of the new system officially will be announced.
For the current status of the unitary patent and the UPC, please refer to our Dossier.
