After decades of discussion and years of delays, the provisional application period of the Unified Patent Court began in January 2022, setting in motion the final steps necessary for the court to begin operating. It’s likely that the court will open its doors in March 2023, at which point the European Patent Office will begin granting unitary patents.
This guide is intended for applicants and owners of European patents, their in-house legal teams, and their local attorneys. After reading this guide, we hope that you will have a clear understanding of what the unitary patent and Unified Patent Court are, and how this new unitary patent system will impact your or your client’s patent rights in Europe.
Read more from our Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court page.