The UPC Preparatory team has shared an updated implementation roadmap for the Unified Patent Court (UPC) which indicates that they are aiming for a start date of 1 April 2023.
The full details of the updated roadmap can be found here and the accompanying graphic indicates that the sunrise period will begin on 1 January 2023. During the sunrise period it will be possible to submit advance requests to opt traditional European patents out of the jurisdiction of the UPC. The advance requests will then be processed as the UPC becomes operational on 1 April 2023.
The updated roadmap notes that it reflects the current state of the UPC project and may therefore be subject to change but as things stand, we are now within 6 months of the start of the unitary patent system.
Owners of European patents should now be considering whether they wish their exisiting EP patents to remain within the competence of the UPC when it opens and speaking with their patent representatives in advance of the start of the sunrise period.
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