Government must publish timetable for ratification of Unified Patent Court

Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, today called on the Irish Government to publish its timetable for ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement due to international developments. Austria became the latest country to ratify the agreement and in doing so, cleared the way for the Unified Patent Court to start in 2022. Formal preparations for the new pan-European court can now commence. 

Ibec Senior Public Sector and Regulatory Executive, Aidan Sweeney said: “Austria’s ratification today of the Unified Patent Court Agreement confirms that the Unified Patent Court is on track to start in 2022, with or without Ireland. Prompt action by Ireland is now required. Government must immediately set out its timetable for Ireland’s ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement. We must urgently reconfirm our continued commitment to the UPC or else the country could miss out.

“Ireland stands to gain significantly through participating in this specialist pan-European court system, but only if it does so in a timely fashion. An Irish Local Division of the Unified Patent Court, that is English-speaking and rooted in common law tradition, would be attractive to indigenous and multinational patent intensive companies. We are uniquely positioned to establish itself on the international stage as a patent enforcement hotspot. Doing so would yield very substantial gains for the wider Irish economy”, he concluded.