On 9 July 2021, the German Federal Constitutional Court rejected two applications for an injunction against the German Act of Approval to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court. This marks a key step towards implementation of the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court.

The EPO has welcomed the decision, with EPO president António Campinos saying, “The implementation of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court will lead to the most significant reform of the European patent system in nearly 50 years”. In Mr Campinos’s view, it will “increase legal certainty, reduce administrative burdens and cut costs”, which will all “contribute to the promotion of innovation and technology transfer, and bring much-needed capital investment in R&D”. To read the EPO’s press release in full, click here.