Source date: 2026-06-11

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Intellectual Property

What is the Unified Patent Court? Published on June 12, 2026 - Entreprendre Service Public / Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister's Office)

Established in 2023, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is a court designed to harmonize patent-related procedures at the European level. It is the first supranational court in Europe specialized in this type of litigation.

What is the role of the Unified Patent Court (UPC)?

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is an international court established by the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) signed on February 19, 2013. Its role is to adjudicate disputes concerning the infringement and validity of European patents with unitary effect and European patents without unitary effect.

The agreement relating to the Unified Patent Court applies to:

• supplementary protection certificates;

• European patents without unitary effect;

• European patent applications pending on the date of application of this agreement or filed after that date;

• European patents with unitary effect.

The UPC has exclusive jurisdiction to handle various matters, such as actions for patent infringement or actions for the revocation of European patents. The objective is to harmonize patent law, as the court's decisions will apply across all 18 states where the agreement is currently in force (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden). UPC judgments produce effects throughout the territories of all member states that have ratified the UPCA.

This court does not have jurisdiction over national patents.

What is the composition of the Unified Patent Court (UPC)?

The UPC consists of:

• a Registry (located in Luxembourg);

• a Court of First Instance, which includes a Central Division located in Paris, as well as local and regional divisions;

• a Court of Appeal (located in Luxembourg).

What are the advantages of the Unified Patent Court (UPC)?

For businesses, the creation of this Unified Patent Court offers numerous advantages:

• harmonization of patent law within the European Union;

• assurance of fair competition;

• faster judicial decisions regarding patents (and an end to "forum shopping");

• greater legal certainty;

• reduced costs for defending patent rights.

Forum shopping is a practice consisting of deliberately choosing one jurisdiction over another to maximize gains during a dispute.

Legal texts and references

• Agreement on a Unified Patent Court

See also

• The Unified Patent Court (UPC), a reality Ministry responsible for Justice

• The Unified Patent Court in Paris Ministry responsible for Justice

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Source: Service-Public professionals