On 1st October, seven member states including France, germany and the United Kingdom, signed the Protocol on the Provisional Application of the Agreement on the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

This is another step along the road towards realisation of the UPC. Eight countries have ratified the Agreement which would bring into effect the UPC - thirteen are requried in total.

This latest step is unlikely to have any impact on businesses in the immediate future but does serve as notice that progress is being made and that the UPC is likely to become a reality in the next few years.