The Unitary Patent moves one step closer

Yesterday on 15 December 2015 the Select Committee, which represents the EU member states participating in the Unitary Patent (UP), formalized a series of agreements (comprising implementing rules, budgetary and financial rules, level and distribution of renewal fees between EPO and the participating member states) into a complete secondary legal framework.

This means that the EPO are now legally, technically and operationally ready to deliver the UP and thus concludes that the preparations for the UP are complete.

The only remaining steps are the finalization of the ratification process at national level and the opening of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), which both are expected to happen in 2016. So far eight states, including France, out of the thirteen needed have ratified, with several more expected to ratify shortly.