The Preparatory Committee made public on 28th November 2016 the UK’s confirmation that it is proceeding with preparations to ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA).
The Preparatory Committee announced on the UPC website that “(t)his is welcome news. It will allow the Committee to pick up pace on all fronts, in particular, facilitating the planning of when we can expect to have the required number of ratifications to allow the Agreement to enter into force.”
The UK government, on the other hand, justified this move towards ratification in its press statement as beneficiary to the industry at large:“The new system will provide an option for businesses that need to protect their inventions across Europe. The UK has been working with partners in Europe to develop this option.
As the Prime Minister has said, for as long as we are members of the EU, the UK will continue to play a full and active role. We will seek the best deal possible as we negotiate a new agreement with the European Union. We want that deal to reflect the kind of mature, cooperative relationship that close friends and allies enjoy. We want it to involve free trade, in goods and services. We want it to give British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the Single Market – and let European businesses do the same in the UK.
But the decision to proceed with ratification should not be seen as pre-empting the UK’s objectives or position in the forthcoming negotiations with the EU.”
For more info on the new timetable for the UPC published by the UPC see here.