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The EPO has issued a Notice of the EPO President regarding the problems caused by the bank closure in Greece and the ban on cross-border payments. The Notice refers to Rule 134(5) EPC, which applies in case of an exceptional occurrence. A brief explanation can also be found in the FAQ section on the EPO website.

On 16th July 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has handed down its long awaited decision on the Case C-170/13 Huawei/ZTE, providing more guidance on the use of compulsory license defenses based on antitrust law to prevent patent holders from enforcing their Standard-Essential Patents (SEPs).

(Photo: Gerichtshof der Europäischen Union)

Before the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) can enter into force, it needs to be ratified by 13 Member States, including Germany, France and the UK (Art 89(1) UPCA).

Italy has notified the Council of the European Union of “its intention to participate in the enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection and in the enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection with regard to the applicable translation arrangements”.

The creation of the Unified Patent Court represents a turning point in the history of European intellectual property law. The judges of the Unified Patent Court will be central actors for the success of the Unified Patent Court and the entire patent package.