title: At a glance: the European patent with unitary effect.
abstract: Everything is almost ready for a new patent system to come into force in Europe. Its implementation will provide access to a unitary patent and a Unified Patent Court that can be used to centrally enforce and invalidate patents in the relevant member states. This system will provide several advantages and will create a more business-friendly Europe regarding intellectual property rights. However, also some risks are associated with the new system. This article will provide a general overview over this future system and highlight some strategic options that may be considered when assessing patent filing, enforcement and clearance strategies.
authors.affiliation: Bird & Bird LLP, Maximiliansplatz 22, 80333 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Höpfner
mesh_terms: D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D018973:Intellectual Property; D062069:Inventions / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D010330:Patents as Topic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
keywords: European patent; UPC; Unified Patent Court; intellectual property; patent; unitary patent