Legal: Orgalim calls for a swift ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement

The European Union and the participating EU Member States reached an agreement years ago on the unitary patent package, which consists of two EU Regulations on the Unitary Patent and an international Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPC). Orgalim calls on the remaining participating EU Member States to ratify the UPC Agreement as soon as possible, so that the unitary patent system can become fully operational.

The unitary patent system will be one of the drivers of economic growth in the European Union, especially in the context of the economic recovery after the COVID-19 crisis. In particular, it will have the following benefits for Europe's technology industries:

• Legal certainty: The possibility of unitary patent protection throughout the EU, without complex validation requirements and the establishment of a Unified Patent Court, will lead to increased efficiency and legal certainty.
• Cost-effectiveness: The substantial reduction of existing translation requirements will significantly reduce the expenses for effective patent protection in the EU.
• Global competitiveness: Effective patent protection in their internal market will strengthen European companies in global competition.
• Promotion of RD&I: Effective and affordable patent protection is beneficial for Research, Development, and Innovation in the EU.
• Strengthening the EU industrial policy: The unitary patent system is a prerequisite for the implementation of the industrial policy of the EU, which relies on European innovation to ensure a green transition, to increase global competitiveness and to achieve a digital transformation of the European economy.

The EU and the participating EU Member States took decades to reach this compromise and this success should become a reality without further delay.

Download the full position above.