December 2017 target start date for UPC will not be achieved

The UPC Preparatory Committee has announced that the timetable for opening the UPC (and the associated start date for Unitary Patents) is to be revised.

The target date for the entry into operation of the UPC, envisaged for December 2017, cannot be achieved – the reason for this being delays around the national procedures concerning the ratification of the UPC Agreement and the participation in the Protocol on Provisional Application. Although progress has been made by the member states, including in both the UK and Germany, it has not been enough to meet the required timetable, which was always ambitious.

The UPC Preparatory Committee says it will continue to monitor progress of national procedures with a view to publishing a new timetable on its website as soon as possible.

Preparations for recruitment of judges, testing the IT and case management systems will continue. You can read the full announcement here.