30 Jan Unitary Patent: the transitory measures of the EPO are already in operation, don’t miss the train!
Transitional measures for the forthcoming entry into force of the Unitary Patent
The Unitary Patent is expected to enter into force on 1 June 2023, with unitary effects in all the Member States of the European Union participating in the system.
Currently, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden are the countries that already ratified the Agreements. However, until its entry into force, the number of countries could be increased.
Before the entry into force of the system, the European Patent Office (EPO) has decided to introduce transitional measures to facilitate access to the system as soon as it is implemented. In this regard, European patent applicants which have already received a communication of intention to grant a European patent shall have the possibility to anticipate the entry into force of the Unitary Patent through the following transitional measures adopted by the EPO and applicable from 1 January 2023 until the date of entry into force of the Unitary Patent (1 June 2023, expected date):
Request for a delay in issuing the decision to grant a European patent: the EPO will delay the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent until the entry into force of the Unitary Patent system. This request for delay can only be validly filed if the applicant has not yet completed the requirements for grant, i.e. the filing of the translation of the claims into the two official languages of the EPO, other than the language of the application, and the payment of the grant and publication fee. Once the mention of the grant has been published, the EPO will immediately register the unitary effect (Unitary Patent) if the applicant has also filed the early request for unitary effect described in point b). Failing to do this prior step, the holder of the pending European patent may still file an application for unitary effect (Unitary Patent) within 1 month from the date of publication of the mention of grant or, alternatively, validate the European patent individually in the desired countries.
Early request for unitary effect: with this transitional measure the EPO will register the unitary effect (Unitary Patent) immediately after the entry into force of the Unitary Patent system, provided that all the requirements are met. A fundamental requirement is that the mention of the grant of the European patent has not been published before the date of entry into force of the Unitary Patent system. Therefore, it will normally be necessary to first file the request for deferment described in the previous point. It will also be necessary to file a translation of the European patent into any of the official languages of the States of the European Union (or a translation into English, if the publication language of the European patent is French or German).
If you are interested in applying for any of these transitional measures for obtaining a Unitary Patent when the system comes into force, our experts in the Patent Department will be pleased to give you advice on the matter.
Author: Nèstor Corominas, Partner and European Patent Attorney.
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