Final(ly) Rules of Procedure of the UPC
Apart from the Unified Patent Court Agreement and a large body of further treaties, regulations, directives and laws governing the operation of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), another important piece of legislation consists of the UPC’s Rules of Procedure (RoP).
The RoP presents a detailed and elaborate set of rules establishing the framework within which all the UPC divisions and panels will operate. It is a must read for any party considering proceedings before the UPC.
The first draft of the RoP, drafted by the UPC Preparatory Committee, dates back to 2009 and has since then undergone scrutiny by different stakeholders including, most recently, the European Commission.
No less than eighteen (18) versions later, on 8 July 2022 the final text of the RoP was approved and adopted by the UPC’s Administrative Committee.
The amended text can be found here, with an official final text to follow soon.
The adoption of the RoP represents yet a further important milestone towards the launch of the UPC, currently expected to occur early 2023.