Germany begins the journey into the Unitary Patent system

Finally the news broke that Germany has started the ratification of the Agreement on a unified patent court and thus the Unitary Patent, by the publication of two law proposals by the German Federal Ministry of Justice (Bundesjustizministerium). The first proposal is to ratify the Unified Patent Court. The other one contains changes to the German patent law to accommodate the Unitary Patent. This brings the Unitary Patent one step closer.

The Unitary Patent system enters into force on the first day of the fourth month after the 13th state (including Germany and the United Kingdom) has ratified the agreement. Currently, nine countries have ratified. So to obtain an entry into force in 2016, Germany, the United Kingdom and two additional countries need to finish ratification within the next half year. The chances of that are low, but a launch in early 2017 is certainly a possibility.