EU and EPO Official Documents

Below you will find lists and links to the European Union treaties, laws and rules that will empower the European Patent Office (EPO) to grant Unitary Patents, and will create and govern the Unified Patent Court (UPC). Please do not hesitate to contact anyone on our Unitary Patent Team for help understanding any of these documents or their contents.

Unitary Patent Documents

• EU Regulation 1257/12 of Dec. 17, 2012 governs the grant and post-grant management of European patents with unitary effect (Unitary Patents). The final version, published in the EU Official Journal on January 20, 2013 is here.
• EUI Regulation 1260/12 of 17 December 2012 governs the applicable translation arrangements for unitary patent protection. The final version, published in the EU Official Journal on December 31, 2012, is here.
• The Rules relating to Unitary Patent Protection (OJ EPO 2016, A39) (procedures to be carried out by the EPO).
• The Rules relating to Fees for Unitary Patent Protection (OJ EPO 2016, A40)
• Budgetary and Financial Rules (OJ EPO 2016, A41) (provisions applicable to managing the income and costs related to Unitary Patents).
• EPO Unitary Patent Guide (2^nd Ed. April 2022). (See here).

For further details on fees, see our Costs page here.

A link to the EPO’s Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court page is here.

Unified Patent Court (UPC) Documents

• Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) [ https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2013001 ]
• A declaration (here) in the minutes of signing the UPC Agreement (EU Council document 6572/13) commits the signatories to cooperate in establishment of the UPC so it can begin operation on the effective date of the UPC Agreement.
• Protocol to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court on provisional application (“PPA”) [ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2015056 ]
• Protocol on Privileges and Immunities (“PPI”) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) [ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2016047 ]
• EU “recast version of the Brussels 1 regulation” (Regulation 1215/2012) (placing the jurisdiction and judgments of the UPC on substantially the same basis as those of national courts of member states, governing the relationships of UPC jurisdiction and judgments with those of courts of EU member states not participating in the UPC, and adding jurisdictional provisions relating to defendants not domiciled in UPC participating states). https://e-justice.europa.eu/content_brussels_i_regulation_recast-350-en.do

The following proposed rules and code have been drafted by the Preparatory Committee and recommended for adoption by the Administrative Committee of the UPC during the Provisional Application Period, prior to opening of the court:

• Rules of Procedure, 18^th draft (Text see here) [ https://www.unified-patent-court.org/news/draft-rules-procedure-updated-march-2017 ]
• Code of Conduct – https://www.unified-patent-court.org/sites/default/files/code_of_conduct_2016.06.pdf
• Rules on the European Patent Litigation Certificate
• Rules on Court fees and recoverable costs

UPCA Ratification Status – Official Sites:

• Status of Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC) – https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2013001
• Status of Protocol to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court on provisional application (“PPA”) – http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2015056
• Status of Protocol on Privileges and Immunities (“PPI”) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) – http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2016047
• Status Summary by EU Council Presidency (20 Nov. 2017)

For more information about Unitary Patents and the Unified Patent Court, please contact Fish attorneys Bernhard Lorenz, Moritz Ammelburg, or Patrick Finn.

Updated 11 May 2022.