Uniform patent protection for Europe

EU member states (excluding Spain, Poland and Croatia) have decided to create unified patent protection for Europe to run alongside national patent protection. The new system comprises

• a European patent with unitary effect, the so-called Unitary Patent and 
• a Unified Patent Court / UPC.

Upon completion of the ratification process, the Unitary Patent offers uniform protection for inventors in 24 EU member states. To date, the following 18 EU member states have ratified the Agreement: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finnland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia. There is a special new procedural law to allow the UPC to decide litigation involving the new Unitary Patent (UP) and the conventional European Patent (EP).

The Unitary Patent and the UPC came into effect in June 2023.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOUR COMPANY?

The introduction of the UP creates a new demand for consulting. Patent law is no longer governed solely by national rules and the EPC, but also by provisions of European and international law. 

WHY CHOOSE ROSPATT FOR THE UPC?

With offices in Düsseldorf and Mannheim, rospatt is located not only geographically at the heart of the new European patent system. Our powerful and experienced team is also well-equipped, in terms of both technical expertise and staff, to represent your company in legal disputes before the UPC.