‘Whatever happens on 23 June 2016 HMG will have to make rules to implement the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court in the United Kingdom. The reason I say that is that the Agreement comes into force after 13 countries, including France, Germany and the UK, ratify the Agreement. Nine countries including France have already done so (see the European Council’s website). Parliament has enacted primary legislation to enable the Secretary of State to give effect to the Agreement in the UK by order in council (see S,17 of the Intellectual Property Act 2014 inserting a new s.88A and s.88B into the Patents Act 1977). As it would take time to negotiate an exit agreement under art 50 (2) of the Treaty on European Union the Agreement will almost certainly come into force while the UK is still an EU member. There would have to be some sort of secondary legislation at least for the time in which the UK remains a party to the UPC Agreement.’
NIPC Law, 22nd February 2016
Source: www.nipclaw.blogspot.co.uk
