From 1 June 2023, the first European patents with unitary effect registered by the EPO in the 17 EU member states participating in enhanced cooperation and ratifying the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPC Agreement) by that date will enter into force.
The new Unitary Patent is based on the European patent granted by the EPO under the rules of the European Patent Convention (EPC), so nothing changes in the pre-grant phase and the same high standards of quality search and examination apply. After a European patent is granted, the patent proprietor can request unitary effect, thereby getting a European patent with unitary effect (Unitary Patent) that provides uniform patent protection in initially 17 EU Member States.
