UK Ratifies Unified Patent Court, Moving It Closer To Reality 27/04/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)The United Kingdom has ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement that will allow “a single judgment in cross-border disputes between private parties over patents granted under the current intergovernmental system.” The system is administered by the European Patent Office, and the UK’s ratification leaves Germany outstanding. The UPCA, signed in 2013, will enter into force when 13 members have ratified, but it must include France, UK and Germany. According to the official list, some 16 members have ratified. France ratified in 2014. The UK’s ratification appears to leave only Germany, which is undergoing a constitutional challenge to the agreement (IPW, Year Ahead, 16 January 2018). The UK press release is reprinted below: UK ratifies the Unified Patent Court Agreement The UK has ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement that enables a single judgment on patent disputes across its contracting states. The Minister for Intellectual Property, Sam Gyimah MP, has today (26 April 2018) confirmed that the UK has ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA). Our ratification brings the international court one step closer to reality. The Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is an international treaty. The international court will have jurisdiction over patent disputes across its contracting states. It will deliver a single judgment in cross-border disputes between private parties over patents granted under the current intergovernmental system. This system is administered by the European Patent Office, who are responsible for granting future Unitary Patents. The UK became a signatory to the Unified Patent Court Agreement in February 2013. For the court to come into being, thirteen Member States must ratify the agreement. This includes the UK, France and Germany, France has already ratified in early 2014. Intellectual Property Minister, Sam Gyimah MP said: The UK is overflowing with innovative businesses, with pockets of this innovation spread up and down the country. These businesses are the lifeblood of local economies by boosting income and creating jobs. Ratification of this important Agreement demonstrates that internationally, as well as at home, the UK is committed to strong intellectual property protections. This will help to foster innovation and creativity, bringing our modern and ambitious Industrial Strategy to life. Innovative businesses will benefit significantly from the Unified Patent Court. It removes the requirement to assert rights before the court system of each state. The unique nature of the proposed court means that the UK’s future relationship with the Unified Patent Court will be subject to negotiation with European partners as we leave the EU. Ratification of the UPCA will keep the UK at the forefront of influencing the international system. Image Credits: UKIPO Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window) Related William New may be reached at wnew@ip-watch.ch."UK Ratifies Unified Patent Court, Moving It Closer To Reality" by Intellectual Property Watch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
[…] even if it’s just legal professionals pointing out factual errors.”As IP Watch put it some hours ago: “The system is administered by the European Patent Office, and the UK’s ratification […] Reply