“EU referendum will have no effect on ratification,” says the UK IPO

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

“EU referendum will have no effect on ratification,” says the UK IPO

UPC

A UK IPO spokesperson has told Managing IP that the UK government is pressing ahead with ratifying the UPC Agreement as planned. This news comes after recent speculations that the UK may delay its ratification or even not ratify due to the EU referendum on June 23

In statement sent to Managing IP this morning the UK IPO said:

"The UK's EU referendum will have no effect on UK ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement by the middle of 2016. This is in line with the timescale identified for the conclusion of the preparatory work necessary for the UPC to become operational.  Ratification will happen before the Court is expected to open, in early 2017.

“The UK needs to complete implementing legislation before we are ready to ratify and we expect to be ready in time for the Court's expected opening in early 2017.”

CIPA, the body which represents UK patent attorneys, has also published a statement regarding the referendum

It is good news that the UK IPO has come out to reiterate the UK's current position. We hope this will dispel any fears.

You can follow our coverage of the Unitary Patent and UPC, including our new series of UPC case scenarios, at www.managingip.com/upc

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

In-house counsel explain why firms should provide risk management advice that helps them achieve their goals
Attorneys at four firms explain the AI trends they expect in the future, including a potential shift in who plaintiffs sue for copyright infringement
The dispute at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court pits Dryrobe against D-Robe and will include a ‘genericide’ element
Novo Nordisk losing patent rights covering Ozempic in Canada and a US Supreme Court decision favouring Ed Sheeran were also among the top talking points
The court will hand down its ruling in Iconix v Dream Pairs on Tuesday, June 24, in a case that concerns post-sale confusion
Developments included a stay in a row concerning the UPC’s jurisdiction and a timeline for the rollout of the long-awaited new CMS
Jorg Thomaier, who has been head of IP at the German pharma company since 2010, will leave later this year and hand the reins to the company’s head of patents
Companies must conduct thorough IP due diligence – even if it may not be mandatory
Celia Cheah at Wong & Partners in Malaysia says she is aiming to tap into the Baker McKenzie member firm’s international network and expand its IP portfolio
A team of partners that joined Boies Schiller Flexner say they would like to double the firm’s patent litigation capabilities
Gift this article