The introduction of the new European patent system, which consists of the Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC), has been delayed twice. This happened after constitutional complaints against approval were submitted to the German Constitutional Court in 2017 and in December 2020. On 9 July, the Court published a ruling indicating that the final formal steps for German approval can be completed. Ratification by Germany is expected to take place in 2022.
Read also our dossier ‘A new European Patent System’
