UPC reason nine: Impressive geographical coverage
1 February 2022
The first Unitary Patents (UP) are expected to be registered and in effect before the end of 2022 and will cover at least 17 countries.
With a population of over 300 million people and a GDP valued over $13 trillion, a Unitary Patent would cover the majority of the European Economic Area. Future Unitary Patents are expected to include coverage for even more countries (with all EU countries except for Spain, Poland and Croatia, having signed the relevant agreements). Further, the jurisdiction of future UPs is capable of expanding even further as additional territories join the EU, along with a possible developments that might allow for non-EU countries to sign up (such as Norway and Switzerland or even the UK).
In this series, we give our top 10 reasons to welcome the Unitary Patent system and explore why the system is a great thing for innovative businesses. Watch this space!
