Tuesday, June 13 2023   \  Published by Veneer Shipley .

A Changed Landscape for Patents in Europe

A Changed Landscape for Patents in Europe

This article has first been published in the June 2023 issue of the Surrey Chambers of Commerce Surrey Business Magazine and Platinum Business Magazine covering the South-East which can be found here.

A changed landscape for patents in Europe

Patents have long been a key tool in the armoury for protecting innovation, but a challenge for those who trade across borders is that patent rights have historically been enforced on a country-by-country basis, meaning that cross-border enforcement is complex and expensive. This has been true in Europe even after the introduction some decades ago of the European Patent Office (EPO), which provides a central process for the grant of patents for all EU states and a range of others, including the UK.

The introduction of the Unitary Patent (UP) and Unified Patent Court (UPC) on 1 June 2023 has fundamentally changed this landscape, providing the option to centrally litigate patent rights across the participating countries (initially 17 countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) in a single action. This represents the biggest shake up of the international patent system in decades, marking the culmination of many years of attempts at harmonisation. Read more

Ready to Get Started?

Contact Sales