Unitary Patent will enter into force in summer 2023
The Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) will postpone the launch of operation until summer 2023.
According to current information, the Unitary Patent will enter into force at the beginning of June 2023. However, this schedule requires Germany to ratify the agreement on the UP system and the UPC.
The UP System and the UPC will begin operating simultaneously. In the future, the UPC will hear disputes over UP and classical European patents, cases that are currently dealt with in national courts.
The UP system will be preceded by a three-month sunrise period, which will commence at the beginning of March. During the period, owners of European patents will have the option to exclude their European patents from the scope of UPC litigation. In these situations, disputes will be litigated in the court of each country as they are today (known as opt-outs).
This page provides useful links for more information on the UP and tracking the progress of the UP system as it enters into force.
Unitary patent on the EPO website.Open link in a new tab
Website of the Unified Patent Court.Open link in a new tab
Read more about the unitary patent system and its effects in our announcement.
Further information on the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court on the PRH website.
Further details:
Patent Advisory Service
advice.patents(a)prh.fi
Tel. +358 29 509 5858
Mon–Fri 9.00–15.00