On 17 December 2012, following a complex negotiation which lasted 12 years, the European Parliament adopted Regulations (EU) 1257/2012 and 1260/2012 and the text of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC Agreement). These instruments institute the 'European patent with unitary effect', the first unified system for the protection of inventions within the European Union. The two Regulations will be applicable after the entry into force of the UPC Agreement, which was signed on 19 February 2013 by 24 Member States of the European Union. This book traces the evolution of the idea behind the institution of the European patent with unitary effect, including a comparative analysis of the existing parallel regional and international procedures for the protection of inventions. It presents a synthesis of the different phases of the negotiations which led to the adoption of the first unitary patent system within the European Union. In addition it examines the provisions of the two Regulations, of the UPC Agreement and of the jurisdictional system under Brussels I Regulation. Finally, the Appendix contains the text of Regulations (EU) 1257 and 1260/2012 and of the UPC Agreement.

With the introduction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and the new European Patent with Unitary Effect, the European patent litigation system is undergoing a set of fundamental reforms. This timely book assesses the current state of European patent litigation by analysing recently published data on Europe's four major patent jurisdictions - the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands - and also looks ahead to examine what the impact of the UPC is likely to be on Europe's patent litigation system in the near future.

The creation of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is the most prominent change in the European legal landscape for the last four decades. This book explains how the new system works in practice and how to make the best use of its provisions. It offers readers an in-depth and comprehensive commentary on the legal mechanisms of the upcoming ratified European Patent Law, and advice on potential problems that users of the forthcoming regulations may face. The book first describes the creation of the Unified European Patent Law and how its four new legislative texts interact. The new legislative texts are then explained and commented on in detail, rule by rule, with diverse approaches and perspectives from a practitioner team comprising patent litigators, European patent attorneys, law professors and patent judges. The Commentary takes into account the practical needs of users of the new system on both the prosecution and enforcement sides, addressing substantive and procedural problems. This book is the most authoritative text on the Unitary Patent and Unified Patents Court, and an invaluable tool for practitioners in this rapidly developing area of law.

A new patent right for Europe (the European Patent with Unitary Effect) and a new European enforcement and invalidation regime (the Unified Patent Court) are expected to come into operation soon, potentially as early as 2015. Existing patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO), as well as those granted in the future, will automatically come under the jurisdiction of the new Court, unless opt-out rights are exercised. These measures represent one of the most complex and ambitious legal reforms in the field of European intellectual property since the creation of the EPO in 1977. For applicants and proprietors used to the current European system of national patents and national courts, the new system will present both opportunities and challenges in developing, maintaining and leveraging a cost-effective patent portfolio. For manufacturers, distributors and end-users, the new system will subject their activities to the jurisdiction of a new court, with unique and possibly unfamiliar powers and procedures. Decisions must therefore be made as to how best to take advantage of the possibilities afforded by the new system. Applicants and proprietors are already asking themselves questions such as: Should I start to register European patents as European Patents with Unitary Effect when they become available, or should I continue with national validation? For which European patents and applications should I make use of the opt-out to keep litigation in the national courts? Should I consider reverting to national filings instead of using the EPO? How will the new Unified Patent Court be structured, and how will it work? What choices will I have in future as to where to litigate – should I choose a national court or the UPC to enforce or invalidate a European patent? This Handbook provides both guidance for the strategic decisions which will have to be taken and a detailed reference manual to the law and practice of the new system.

In 2013, twenty-five Member States of the European Union decided to take European patenting and patent enforcement to a next level. They agreed on a common patent title and a common patent court, i.e. the new Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. Unfortunately, the implementation phase of the new patent package appeared to be a bumpy ride: non-participating Member States attacked the legal texts before the EU Court of Justice, the Rules of Procedure of the Unified Patent Court were subject to extensive debates, the Brexit caused the UK to step out of the system, an action before the constitutional court in Germany resulted in years of delay, etc. Nevertheless, the unitary patent package appeared to be a survivor. On 1 June 2023, the Unified Patent Court could finally open its doors with seventeen EU participating Member States. At the same time the first Unitary Patents could officially be registered. From then on, companies, research institutions, and individuals are able to obtain not only a patent title with immediate effect in the participating EU Member States, but also a court decision on infringement or validity of a European or Unitary Patent with immediate effect in all the participating Member States. The authors of this book, one being a leading Belgian IP lawyer who had a hand in the legal texts of the Unitary Patent and the other being a reputed Belgian intellectual property appeal judge who is currently (part-time) UPC judge at the local division in Brussels, were the first in 2013 to publish an introduction to the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. In 2017, they published the first edition of the current book. In this second edition of the book, they now present a comprehensive description of all aspects of this new patent and enforcement system. This book not only describes in detail all the provisions regarding the new patent and the new court, but also explains the history and the rationale behind certain choices. This book unravels all legal texts regarding the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court, including the Rules of Procedure and all other Rules governing the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. This book also includes flowcharts summarizing the important phases of the proceedings before the Unified Patent Court. For its deeply informed insights into the practical functioning of this revolutionary new patent and litigation system, this extraordinary book is a must-have on the bookshelf of anyone involved or interested in European patenting.

Introduction -- Defining the public interest in the US and European patent systems -- Confronting the questions of life-form patentability -- Commodification, animal dignity, and patent-system publics -- Forging new patent politics through the human embryonic stem cell debates -- Human genes, plants, and the distributive implications of patents -- Conclusion