Countdown to the UPC: How to Prepare Now for the Unified Patent Court and Unitary Patent System

The Unitary Patent System and Unified Patent Court (UPC) are on the horizon in Europe. Expected to come into force in 2017, this will bring about one of the most significant changes in European patent practice since the formation of the EPO almost forty years ago. The UPC will be effective for existing and future European patents and applications (once granted), so patentees need to be thinking about what to do now. In this webinar, we shall outline the fundamentals, strategic considerations, and what preparations need to be made now for when the new system becomes effective. Topics will include:

• The Unitary Patent: Costs, filing strategies, and urban myths
• The UPC: Structure, costs, forum shopping, revocation actions, strategies, and the ins and outs of opting out
• Ownership, licensing, and agreements with the UPC in mind

This webinar is the second in Finnegan’s 2016 “Strategic Patent Series for European Counsel.”

Moderator:

Mark D. Sweet

Speakers: 
Hazel Ford, Ph.D.
Leythem A. Wall

Date:
Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Time:

15:00 - 16:00 BST
16:00 - 17:00 CEST
10:00 - 11:00 a.m. EDT