News item | 27-02-2023 | 11:00 am
The European patent system will be renewed with the introduction of the unitary patent from 1 June 2023. With a single application, companies can protect the ownership of their innovation and enforce it in 17 EU countries through the European patent court in The Hague. This makes patent protection simpler, more efficient and cheaper. This makes the Dutch business and innovation climate more attractive.
“This reduces the administrative burden for businesses and makes it easier for entrepreneurs – from internationally operating companies to innovative SMEs and start-ups – to apply for and manage patents,” writes Minister Adriaansens (Economic Affairs and Climate) to the House of Representatives.
A patent court will also be established, the Unified Patent Court (UPC). A local division will be formed in The Hague The Hague Hearing Centre. Companies can litigate about European patents here in Dutch and English. A patent or patent is an exclusive property right on an invention of a technical product or process. It is important for entrepreneurs to protect their innovation with a patent in order to be able to compete.
European member states are already working together on the granting of patent rights. However, after grant, the retention, management and enforcement of patents is regulated differently in each country. The reform of the European Patent Convention should counteract this fragmentation. The new patent system thus avoids administrative work, separate national procedures and translation requirements. The UPC patent court will make it possible to enforce patent law in the participating EU member states in a single procedure.
Local division The Hague
In addition to the main offices of the UPC in Munich and Paris, the Netherlands gets a local division The Hague Hearing Centre. The proximity of the UPC office in The Hague and the possibility to communicate in Dutch or English makes it easier, especially for innovative SMEs and start-ups, to file a lawsuit about a patent, because they often have less patent knowledge in-house. . On May 10, 2023, the Hague location of the Unified Patent Court opened in the presence of Minister Adriaansens of EZK.