When: Thursday 4 April 2024 | 6:00 – 7:30pm (BST)
Speakers: Hazel Ford and Leythem Wall
Register here (early registration discount deadline Friday 8 March)
The UPS and UPC opened for business in 2023, marking the most significant change for 50 years in European patent practice and affecting all existing and future European patents and applications.
Applicants still have the option to use the current “classical” European grant procedure (equivalent to a “bundle” of separate European national patents) but also may make use of the Unitary Patent to cover many EU countries in one patent right. With fewer fees, the Unitary Patent potentially offers a significant reduction in costs, depending on in which EU states you pursue protection and for how long.
Europe has also established a new centralized patent court system (the UPC) that offers a unified body of substantive and procedural laws intended to simplify patent litigation throughout much of the EU. The UPC allows coordination of strategy and procedures and provides broader enforcement across most of the EU in a single action. However, for many, the potential significant reduction in costs could be offset by the substantial risk of a single central revocation action also with effect across the same territories. Companies and their counsel must understand the benefits and risks of the Unitary Patent and the UPC.
Listen as our authoritative panel examines the nuts and bolts of the UPS and UPC. The panel will also discuss strategic considerations for U.S. applicants and patentees.
Outline
- Nuts and bolts of the UPS and UPC
- Strategic considerations for U.S. applicants and patentees with European portfolios
- Guidance on what needs to be done to prepare for the new system
Benefits
The panel will review these and other vital issues:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of the UPS? How does it differ from the current system?
- What are the benefits and risks of the UPC?
- What key considerations should companies and their counsel keep in mind as they navigate the new systems?
- What steps should patent counsel take now and in the future to prepare for the new systems?
Join Mathys & Squire Partner Hazel Ford and Oxon IP Director Leythem Wall in this live webinar with an interactive Q&A session, which will guide patent counsel on the EU Unitary Patent System (UPS) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC). The panel will also discuss the nuts and bolts of the systems and strategic considerations for U.S. applicants and patentees with European portfolios.
For more information and to register, click here.
