Intellectual property and its protection have become vital for industry and individuals in our increasingly knowledge-based culture, reflecting a country’s innovative activity and performance. In 2015 the European Patent has been applied for 160,022 times, an increase of 4,8% compared to the preceding year, with the top applicants coming from the manufacturing industry.

By granting the patent owner to decide on whether or how the invention can be used by others, patents guarantee protection for innovations. Thus far they can be issued in form of either national patent or European Patent, requiring a separate registration in individual EU countries. In order to simplify the process by granting supranational protection and making it less costly as well as legally more secure, the European Union has long sought to introduce a single European patent and a single court for litigations of European patents.

On December 2012, after a 40 year long quest, the European Parliament and the European Council finally reached a formal agreement on two EU regulations, making the European Patent with Unitary Effect (EPUE) an achievable prospect. With almost all EU member states - except for Spain and Croatia - participating in the enhanced cooperation, the legislation is supposed to come into force by the end of the year 2016/beginning 2017.

Experts, however, argue about the intended cost saving factor as well as the theoretical simplicity the EPUE package will bring, being mostly concerned about the patchwork nature of the system. Also, with the recent Brexit vote, additional straits are adding up, making the future of the Unitary Patent unclear.   

This timely Symposium will offer an opportunity to inform and find out more about the current developments and challenges regarding the Unitary Patent and the Unitary Patent Court. The conference will evaluate advantages and disadvantages, build strategies for businesses on how to proceed and support the exchange of information and best practices with experts, practitioners and policymakers at EU level.