The current go-live date for the Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is 1 June 2023. For this date to hold Germany must complete the ratification process during February 2023.
统一专利法院（UPC）将对我的欧洲专利产生什么影响？
The UPC will allow granted European patents to be enforced or challenged centrally and for a single ruling to be given that applies across multiple EU countries. The UPC will become available as an alternative forum to national courts for matters relating to European patent rights in the participating EU countries, and once proceedings have been started before the UPC the patent is “locked in” to that forum.
我现在应该考虑什么？
如果专利权人不希望其专利在统一专利法院（UPC）体系下面临集中挑战，就需要在该体系正式运行前采取行动选择退出。
If owners may be interested in making use of the UP they need to consider requesting a delay of grant of their application so that it is still pending at the go-live date.
选择退出
It is important to note that not opting out of the UPC does not have any impact on the immediate status of your patent. Not opting out simply means that any court action involving the patent can take place before the UPC for those states covered by the UPC and will still take place before national courts for any other states covered by the patent.
Having validated a European patent only in states not covered by the UPC does not mean the UPC will have no jurisdiction over the patent. The states to be considered in relation to whether the UPC has jurisdiction are all of those covered by the patent at grant and these will generally include at least France and Germany. For example, if a patent was validated in the UK and Norway, but covered France at grant, then the UPC would have jurisdiction over the French part of the patent but not the UK and Norway. This means a third party could begin a “test run” case before the UPC to try out their arguments but the decision would only be applicable to the UPC states, not the UK and Norway.
选择退出有哪些正当理由？
- 您不希望自己的专利在整个有效期内都存在一个核心漏洞；一旦欧洲专利局（EPO）的异议期结束，您就希望迫使任何挑战者必须逐国发起攻击。
- 您担心在统一专利法院（UPC）进行诉讼的费用可能会高于在某国国内法院进行诉讼的费用。
- You don’t want your patent to be challenged in a court that is not yet tried and tested; greater predictability is important to you.
- 当存在涉及多方的复杂所有权或许可情况时，这意味着难以协调采取单一的集中行动，或者有必要允许各方在其本国法院协调行动。
- 根据该专利的许可协议条款，一旦遭到集中性攻击，可能会对许可收入来源造成严重不利影响。
- You want to make it more difficult for a competitor to “clear the way” for launching a product across multiple EU countries or to block their use of the UPC as a “test run” forum.
- 你想维持现状。
留在UPC体系有哪些充分的理由？
- 您正在考虑针对多个欧盟国家提起侵权诉讼，因此，能够获得一项适用于整个欧洲的裁决和禁令对您而言具有重要价值。
- You perceive that there is national case law or precedent that might be adverse to your case (whether in terms of infringement or validity) and therefore you would value the fresh start offered by the UPC system.
- You are keen to be involved in the early days of a new system so that you can help shape how it evolves.
- 您希望向潜在侵权人发出威慑信号，即可能面临全欧洲范围的禁令和损害赔偿。
- 您不会预料到自己的专利会遭到质疑，也不想处理与选择退出相关的行政手续。
- 您还拥有其他知识产权，例如正在审查中的欧洲分案专利或已授权的国家专利，您认为即使面临核心攻击，这些权利也能充分维护您的权益。
我要申请欧洲专利的“不参与”登记，需要准备哪些材料？
根据“退出”规则，只有在获得当前合法所有人的授权，并且掌握其姓名和地址的情况下，我们才能对欧洲专利行使“退出”权利，无论该人是否为欧洲专利局（EPO）和/或欧洲专利生效所在地的当地专利局登记在案的所有人。
如果有多个权利人，我们需要所有权利人的同意，并需提供其姓名和地址信息。如果已授予补充保护证书（SPC），这些权利的权利人也需要授权退出，并需提供其姓名和地址信息。
如果存在被许可方，我们并不直接需要征得他们的同意或获取其详细信息，但许可条款可能规定需要征询他们的意见，甚至可能规定关于选择退出的具体决定。
我何时以及如何可以登记我的退出意愿？
Working from the suggested go live date of 1 June 2023, there will be a sunrise period of three months before this date, so starting on 1 March 2023, during which opt outs can be filed.
Once Germany completes the ratification process, therefore finally setting the go-live date and start of the sunrise period, if we are the European patent attorneys of record, we will be contacting you in relation to all granted EPO patents if you were our instructing contact at the time of grant in relation to whether an opt out is needed.
我们将提供所有已获授权专利的清单，该清单将根据我们的记录按专利权人分组列出，但只有在收到明确指示（包括确认所有专利权人均同意，并附其姓名和地址详细信息）的情况下，我们才会办理退出手续。
鉴于日出期相对较短，且相关要求较为严格，请您现在就考虑需要进行哪些规划，以便您能在三个月的期限内提供指示，包括授权文件以及所需相关方的姓名和地址信息；或者，请确保您能够协助我们联系到负责接收指示的正确联系人。
推迟发放补助金
If your application has not yet had a Communication under R71(3) EPC issued, or if your application has an outstanding Communication under R71(3) EPC, we can now request that the date of grant is delayed until on or after the go-live date of the UP/UPC, so that you have the option of proceeding with a UP.
This does not tie you into having to proceed with a UP but simply delays grant so that you can make that choice.
不过，如果继续进行UP程序，就意味着您无法就该专利退出UPC。
If you would like to discuss your UP and UPC options, please contact the authors Lucy Trueman or Yvonne Johnson, or your usual Barker Brettell attorney.
“如果专利权人不希望其专利在统一专利法院（UPC）体系下面临集中挑战，就需要在该体系正式运行前采取行动，选择退出。”
