After many years of planning, numerous stop-starts and a huge amount of hard work, it’s finally here: the Unified Patent Court (UPC), a game-changer in European patent law, is now open for business.

From today, patent applicants are able to obtain patent protection across a large part of Europe with a single patent, marking a significant milestone in the field of European patent law.  This new Unitary Patent provides another option for applicants seeking patent protection in EU Member States, with the rights conferred by a Unitary Patent enforceable through a new supranational court, the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

This long-awaited court has the exclusive right to issue judgments in lawsuits involving Unitary Patents, for example with regard to questions of infringement or validity.  It is also able to issue judgments relating to classical European patents unless these are “opted out” of the court’s jurisdiction.

The arrival of the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court represents a fundamental change to the European intellectual property landscape.

For more information about the UPC, including detailed answers to questions such as:

• What is the UPC and the Unitary Patent?
• Why have they been introduced?
• Where will UPC judgments apply?
• Who can obtain Unitary Patents?
• How do you obtain a Unitary Patent?

…please click here.

To download our UPC guide, please click here.

For further information, please contact any of the team here at Dehns.