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A Step Towards A Unitary SPC?
The European Commission has recently announced a new initiative aimed at creating a single procedure for granting Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) (https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/13353-Medicinal-&-plant-protection-products-single-procedure-for-the-granting-of-SPCs_en). Currently, SPCs are applied for and granted at …
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HGF webinar: Looking ahead to the UPC and Unitary Patents
HGF webinar Looking ahead to the UPC and Unitary Patents is now available to watch. The patent landscape in Europe is on the brink of the most significant change in …
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Looking ahead to the UPC and Unitary Patents
On 19 January 2022, the Unified Patent Court’s (UPC) provisional application phase began. In the words of the UPC Preparatory Committee, this represented “the birth of the Unified Patent Court …
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Provisional Phase of the UPC can now begin
With the deposit on 18 January 2022 by Austria of its instrument of ratification for the Protocol on Provisional Application Period (PAP- Protocol; see here), the UPC’s Provisional Phase can …
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UPC moves one step closer to 2022 launch
The Austrian parliament has completed the legislative procedure to ratify the Protocol on the provisional application of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (the “Protocol”; see here). When deposited, …
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UPC – Progress on German ratification
The German Bundestag has approved the ratification bill on the Unified Patent Court Agreement. The EPO has welcomed the news, explaining that “in Germany, the UPC bill will now be submitted …
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UK will not participate in the UPC
On 20 July 2020, it was announced that the UK had made its final preparation to withdraw from the Unified Patent Court project. A formal withdrawal of ratification was deposited, …
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UK intends to explore staying in the UPC and unitary patent system after the UK leaves the EU
The UK government has reaffirmed its commitment to the UPC and unitary patent in the recent “Brexit White Paper”. The paper’s section on Intellectual Property states that: “The UK has …
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UK ratifies the Unified Patent Court Agreement
On World IP day last week, the UK Minister for Intellectual Property, Sam Gyimah MP, confirmed that the UK has ratified the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA). The announcement from …
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