Unitary patent system and the unified patent court: next steps

A media release from the European Commission last month (European Commission - MEMO/14/308   15/04/2014) brings us up-to-date with the narrative relating to unitary patent protection.  It reads as follows:

Filling the legal gaps for unitary patent protection 

The European Parliament today backed the Commission's proposal to complete the legal framework for a Europe-wide patent protection, updating existing EU rules on the jurisdiction of courts and recognition of judgments (IP/13/750). The legislation will also pave the way for a specialised European patent court – the Unified Patent Court – to take up its work once ratified by all Member States, making it easier for companies and inventors to protect their patents. The court will have specialised jurisdiction in patent disputes, avoiding multiple litigation cases in up to 28 different national courts. This will cut costs and lead to swift decisions on the validity or infringement of patents thus, boosting innovation in Europe. 

Next steps: Ministers agreed on a general approach at the December Justice Council (MEMO/13/1109) last December. The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) voted in favour of the compromise text agreed in trialogues with the European Commission and the Council of Ministers (MEMO/14/101) on 11 February. Following today's successful plenary vote, the proposal now needs to be formally adopted by the Council in order to become law. This is expected to happen at the Council meeting in June.