June
EPO Sets Unitary Patent Renewal Fees
June 25, 2015
The EPO’s Select Committee of the Administrative Council adopted the “True Top 4” proposal for Unitary Patent renewal fees. The EPO and EU Member states participating in the unitary patent system approved the fees, which correspond to the total sum of the renewal fees currently paid in four of the most frequently validated countries (i.e. Germany, France, UK and the Netherlands).
The EPO President Benoît Battistelli stated that he is “[C]onfident that today's decision strikes a positive balance, ensuring that the fees represent a real cost saving to the user and also providing a healthy operating budget for the EPO and the participating Member States. This is another major step in achieving truly uniform patent protection in Europe."
As a next step the Select Committee will need to determine how renewal fee income will be distributed between the member states.
See the full press release here.
Luxembourg ratifies UPC Agreement
June 2, 2015
The Agreement must be ratified by six additional EU member states, including the United Kingdom and Germany, in order for the Unified Patent Court to fully come into effect. Further information about the ratification progress can be found on the European Commission website, found here.
These comments from a high-ranking member of the Government of Italy, while not a ratification yet, unequivocally show a strong signal of Italy’s position on the European unitary patent system.