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Update on the UPC – expected timeline
April 2022
The first meetings of the UPC Administrative, Budget and Advisory Committee took place at the end of February. Following these, the Advisory Committee have begun interviewing judges for the court and plan to finish interviewing in May. It will pass on its recommendations to the Administrative Committee who will officially appoint the judges just before summer.
Judges will undertake an extensive training program on the case management system and the secondary legislation of the Court. They will elect two Presidents of the Court and form a Presidium.
In parallel to the appointment of judges, work is continuing on other aspects of the UPC. A medical and social security plan is in progress and the IT system, the corporate function and the new UPC website are being completed.
The UPC will start on the first day of the fourth month after Germany deposits its instrument of ratification. Germany’s deposit will also mark the start of the sunrise period during which existing European Patents can be opted out.
This latest update reports it reasonable to expect the UPC to be operational in the last quarter of 2022 or early 2023.