UPC start date pushed back to 1 June 2023

The timeline for UPC implementation has been pushed back, meaning that the Unified Patent Court will now be implemented on 1 June 2023, with the sunrise period starting from 1 March 2023.

According to the UPC website: “The start of the Sunrise Period is postponed for two months. The initial roadmap foresaw 1 January 2023 as the beginning of the Sunrise Period… The additional time is intended to allow future users to prepare themselves for the strong authentication which will be required to access the Case Management System (CMS) and to sign documents.”

This news affords patent owners more time to set their UPC strategy and decide whether to ‘opt out’ or ‘stay in’.

To receive advice tailored to your portfolio, get in touch with your usual advisor or our specialist UPC team at unitarypatent@murgitroyd.com.