The European Patent Office announces to be ready to implement the Unitary Patent

The European Patent Office has announced that a complete secondary legal framework has been finalized which comprises implementing rules, budgetary and financial rules, the level of the renewal fees and the rules concerning the distributing of the renewal fees between the EPO and the Member States participating in the new Unitary Patent System. According to the EPO the preparations for the Unitary Patent System are completed to the extent that the EPO is involved. This is one milestone. However, the Unitary Patent System can only start if the Unified Patent Court (UPC) comes into existence which is not yet the case.