First Unitary Patents on their way to publication
The European Patent Register contains for the first time data on European patents with request for unitary effect following the entry into operation of the Unitary Patent system on 1 June.
Data on 600 patents with such requests are mentioned and will be published as granted in the forthcoming edition of the Bulletin. In total, the EPO had received 800 requests for unitary effect by the end of May, as well as 4 500 requests for deferred publication of the grant of the European patent which will make those patents eligible for requesting unitary effect in June and early July.
The entry into force of the Unitary Patent system for 17 EU Member States has been the single most important development in European patent history since the signing of the European Patent Convention on 5 October 1973, nearly fifty years ago. The Unitary Patent system offers a host of expected substantial improvements for users everywhere, including cost reductions, streamlined procedures, increased transparency, and enhanced legal certainty. The Unified Patent Court (UPC), which also commenced its operations on 1 June, makes a centralised litigation system for patents a reality in Europe and allows users to file cases at the European level.
