We all look forward to the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court entering into force!

A lot has been said about it during the last couple of months (and years, if you think about it). Last Monday, the president of the UPC communicated that the start of the sunrise period will be postponed with 2 months, to 1 March 2023. This means the actual entry into force of UP and UPC will be 1 June 2023.

The sunrise period is the 3 month period before the entry into force of let's say, the "Unitary package".
During this period, applicants have the chance to delay the grant of their European Patent. But most important is the opportunity for proprietors to opt-out: this means that, as from day one (1 June 2023), their patent does not fall under the jurisdiction of the newly established Unified Patent Court.

Please contact your patent expert for more information on Unitary Patent protection, on the sunrise period and the opportunity to opt-out.