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UPC reason nine: Clear court process and timeline – UPC will have a common process and timeline for all divisions increasing clarity, reducing complexity and delay…

27 April 2017

The Unitary Patent Court will have a common process and timeline for all of its divisions throughout Europe. This will increase the clarity of procedure before the UPC, and reduce delay. It means that a UPC litigator can be assured that a case brought in Stockholm will be handled the same as a case in London or Paris.  A clear timeline for procedure, with deadlines for the completion of each stage, will make it easier for parties to plan and make decisions around proceedings.

The UPC has set itself the goal of hearing patent cases within twelve months from commencement to help to prevent unnecessary delay.  The goal of a one day trial has been set, which should limit the costs involved.

The UPC will offer increased predictability and lower costs compared with the existing situation where cases have to be taken in each national jurisdiction of interest.

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 UK businesses. Watch this space for more reasons posted weekly.