Guidelines Unitary Patent

Overview

1. General
1.1. Preliminary remarks
1.2. Explanatory notes
1.2.1. Overview
1.2.2. Abbreviations
1.3. Legal framework
1.3.1. EU regulations creating enhanced cooperation
1.3.2. Rules relating to Unitary Patent Protection
1.3.3. Rules relating to Fees for Unitary Patent Protection
1.3.4. Relevant EPC provisions and publications in the Official Journal
1.4. The role of the Unified Patent Court
1.5. The territorial scope of Unitary Patents
1.5.1. Territorial scope
1.5.2. Additional participating Member States ratifying/accessing the UPCA
1.6. Role of the UPP Division
2. The request for unitary effect
2.1. Eligibility (requirements under Rule 5(2) UPR)
2.2. Requirements
2.2.1. Form and time limit
2.2.2. Persons entitled to file a request for unitary effect
2.2.3. Mandatory information to be provided in the request for unitary effect
2.2.4. Language of the request for unitary effect
2.2.5. Persons entitled to sign the request
2.2.6. Voluntary indication of a place of business of the original applicant on the date of filing of the European patent application
2.2.7. Translation
2.2.7.1. Format
2.2.7.2. Correction
2.3. Filing the request for unitary effect
2.3.1. How to file the request for unitary effect
2.3.2. Acknowledgement of receipt
2.4. Processing of the request for unitary effect
2.5. Registration of the unitary effect
2.6. Rejection of the request for unitary effect
2.7. Withdrawal of the request for unitary effect
3. Fees and compensation
3.1. Fees
3.1.1. General
3.1.2. Unitary Patent fees
3.1.3. Methods of payment and currency
3.1.4. Due date for the payment of fees
3.1.5. Reduction of fees
3.1.6. Refund of fees
3.1.7. Renewal fees
3.1.7.1. Due date for renewal fees
3.1.7.2. Additional six-month period for paying renewal fees
3.1.7.3. Missing payment after additional six-month period for paying renewal fees
3.1.7.4. Lapse of the Unitary Patent due to non-payment of the renewal fee
3.1.7.5. Special features relating to renewal fees
3.1.7.5.1. Three-month safety period under Rule 13(4) UPR
3.1.7.5.2. Renewal fee falling due between the grant of the European patent and the notification of the registration of unitary effect
3.1.7.5.3. Renewal fee falling due after lapse of the unitary effect
3.2. Compensation scheme
3.2.1. Eligibility requirements
3.2.1.1. Residence, principal place of business
3.2.1.2. Applicant/proprietor categories
3.2.1.3. Transfer of the European patent application during the grant procedure
3.2.1.4. Filing language requirement
3.2.2. Filing of the request for compensation
3.2.2.1. Formal requirements
3.2.3. Processing of the request for compensation
3.2.3.1. Examination of the request for compensation
3.2.3.2. Grant of the request for compensation
3.2.3.3. Rejection of the request for compensation
3.2.3.4. Doubts as to the veracity of the declaration filed under Rule 9(2) UPR
3.2.4. Withdrawal of the request for compensation
4. Re-establishment of rights
4.1. Scope
4.2. Admissibility
4.2.1. Entitlement to file
4.2.2. Time limit
4.2.3. Form
4.2.4. Substantiation
4.3. Allowability
4.4. Decision on re-establishment of rights
5. Interruption and resumption of proceedings
5.1. General
5.2. Date of interruption and resumption of proceedings
5.3. Stay of proceedings
6. Registration of changes of name and address, transfers, licences and other rights
6.1. General
6.2. Transfer of the Unitary Patent
6.3. Changes of name
6.4. Licences and other rights
6.4.1. Registration
6.4.2. Cancellation
6.4.3. Deficiencies
6.5. Statement on licences of right
6.5.1. Registration
6.5.2. Withdrawal
6.5.3. Deficiencies
6.6. Licensing commitments
6.7. Changes of inventor data in the Register for unitary patent protection
7. Proceedings before the UPP Division
7.1. Filing requirements
7.1.1. Filing the request for unitary effect
7.1.2. Filing of subsequent documents
7.2. Representation before the EPO
7.2.1. Appointment of a representative
7.2.2. Representation by a professional representative, list of professional representatives, associations, legal practitioner
7.2.3. Representation by an employee
7.2.4. Common representative
7.2.5. Authorisations
7.2.6. Change of representation
7.3. Signature of documents
7.3.1. Signature of the request for unitary effect
7.3.2. Signature of other documents
7.3.3. Form of signature
7.4. Languages
7.5. Time limits
7.5.1. Determination of time limits
7.5.2. Failure to observe a time limit
7.6. Publications and file inspection
7.6.1. Register for unitary patent protection
7.6.2. Content of the Register for unitary patent protection
7.6.3. Recording changes in the Register for unitary patent protection
7.6.4. European Patent Bulletin
7.6.5. Official Journal of the EPO
7.6.6. File inspection and communication of information
7.6.7. Certificate and identifier for unitary patent protection
7.7. Legal remedies
7.7.1. Actions against decisions of the UPP Division
7.7.2. Interlocutory revision
8. Annex: Alphabetical Keyword Index
8.1. A
8.2. B
8.3. C
8.4. D
8.5. E
8.6. F
8.7. G
8.8. H
8.9. I
8.10. J
8.11. K
8.12. L
8.13. M
8.14. N
8.15. O
8.16. P
8.17. Q
8.18. R
8.19. S
8.20. T
8.21. U
8.22. V
8.23. W
8.24. X
8.25. Y
8.26. Z
Legal texts

7.2.5. Authorisations

Representatives acting before the EPO in Unitary Patent proceedings must, on request, file a signed authorisation within a period to be specified by the EPO. The time limit cannot be extended (see 7.5.1). If the authorisation is not filed in time, any procedural steps taken by the representative, including the procedural act of requesting unitary effect, will be deemed not taken (Rule 152(6) EPC, which applies mutatis mutandis pursuant to Rule 20(2)(l) UPR).

Professional representatives and legal practitioners entitled to act as representatives under Rule 20(1) UPR in conjunction with Art. 134(8) EPC will be required to file a signed authorisation only in certain circumstances, in particular if there is a change of representative or if there is any doubt as to the representative's entitlement to act (see the decision of the President of the EPO dated 8 July 2024, OJ EPO 2024, A76, and the notice from the EPO dated 8 July 2024, OJ EPO 2024, A77). Therefore, if an authorisation is required under that decision, it needs to cover proceedings relating to the Unitary Patent.

Representatives may be authorised either by an individual authorisation or by a general authorisation. An authorisation given for European patent proceedings does not extend to Unitary Patent proceedings unless this is indicated by selecting the corresponding box on EPO Form 1003 (individual authorisation) or EPO Form 1004 (general authorisation) (see EPC Guidelines, A-VIII, 1.7). Alternatively, EPO Forms 7003 and 7004, which provide, respectively, for an individual and a general authorisation with respect only to Unitary Patent proceedings, can be used. When filing the request for unitary effect (EPO Form 7000, see 2.2), it is possible simply to refer to a previously filed authorisation if it also covers Unitary Patent proceedings.

If one of the proprietors is obliged to appoint a professional representative, that representative will be deemed to be the common representative (see 7.2.4) unless the proprietor first named in the request has already appointed a professional representative. In that case, the authorisation does not need to be signed by all proprietors.

Authorisations may be filed electronically via EPO Online Filing, Online Filing 2.0 and the EPO Contingency Upload Service or on paper (see EPC Guidelines, A-VIII, 2.5). Authorisations may bear handwritten, facsimile or text-string signatures (see EPC Guidelines, A-VIII, 3.3), or digital signatures under the conditions specified by the decision of the President dated 8 July 2024 (OJ EPO 2024, A76) and the notice from the EPO dated 8 July 2024 (OJ EPO 2024, A77). Where a digital signature is used, the authorisation must be filed electronically.