Making sense of the UPC fee proposals

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

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

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

Making sense of the UPC fee proposals

The consultation on the court fees, SME support and recoverable costs for the Unified Patent Court runs until July 31 and provides an opportunity for anyone to help shape this important aspect of the proposed new patent system in Europe. A series of events in the UK over the next month will provide more information

UPC

Regular readers of our website will be well aware that momentum is building towards the introduction of the EU Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court. One of the most important developments at present is the consultation on court costs, which is open until the end of July.

CIPA, the IP Federation and the UK IPO are planning to host a series of awareness-raising events on the background to the consultation, the details of various elements contained within it and how best to get your views across.


Colin Birss

One event will be in London on June 23. Hosted at Allen & Overy’s office, it will feature Mr Justice Birss (left), Kevin Mooney of Simmons & Simmons (chair of the committee drafting the UPC Rules of Procedure) and Alan Johnson of Bristows, a member of the UK IPO’s European Focus Group.

There should be a lively discussion at the event, and there will also be an interactive webinar. We will post a report afterwards.

If you are interested in attending, you can email Tina Alexander at Allen & Overy.

The IPO is considering hosting similar events in other locations, and would like to gauge interest, so if you would like to attend an event elsewhere, click on the relevant link:

I would like to go to an event in Scotland

I would like to go to an event in Manchester

I would like to go to an event in Leeds

As we’ve written before, for the new Unitary Patent and UPC systems to succeed, getting the costs right is key. The policy-makers have come up with their proposals, but users in industry and in the patent professions also have a responsibility to make their views clear. This is your opportunity to do so.

If there are similar events in other countries taking place, please do let us know about them, particularly if you think our readers would be interested in attending.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

With the London Annual Meeting behind us, we look back at some of the lessons learned this week and ahead to what 2027 will bring
In-house counsel aren’t impressed with law firms’ international networks, but practitioners say they are crucial for business
Publication of the UPC’s annual report and adoption of the procedural rules of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre were also among major developments
With the INTA Annual Meeting drawing to a close, we asked attendees for their top tips on how to close business after a meeting
Senior UK judges discussing the impact of AI on the judiciary, and the role of in-house IP lawyers during corporate transactions and carve-outs were among the top talking points
Tarun Khurana, founding partner of Khurana & Khurana, discusses juggling tasks, why every hour has a value, and the importance of ‘trusting the process’
Annual Meeting hears that IP firms are targeting hires with technical literacy in a fragmented landscape, and that those that build an online presence will distinguish themselves from the digital chaos
How law firms can secure themselves in a technology-driven IP landscape and how IP teams can develop future leadership were among the top talking points
The variety of winners demonstrates that the UPC is now a core benchmark rather than an experimental consideration, while junior lawyers are becoming more deeply involved in key work
The Indian government announcing a fee waiver for sports-related IP registrations, and the US adding the EU to its IP 'watch list' were also among major developments
Gift this article