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18 October 2016Patents

UPC postpones judicial appointments in light of Brexit

The Unified Patent Court (UPC) preparatory committee has decided to postpone the recruitment of UPC judges, in light of Brexit.

In an announcement yesterday, October 17, the committee explained that the original timetable for recruitment was to complete interviews and make appointments early in 2017.

“The current timetable is being revisited in light of the result of the referendum in the UK, which will to some extent delay the entry into operation of the UPC,” it said.

The next phase, which includes calling candidates for interview, depends on the entry into force of a protocol allowing some aspects of the UPC to be implemented early and subsequently the UPC Agreement.

According to law firm Bristows, a total of 840 applications for the roles of legal and technical judges were submitted by July this year.

In a news story, the law firm said that the preparatory committee had been “preparing the ground for the future advisory and administrative committees to interview up to 280 applicants and to appoint 45 legal and 50 technical judges in permanent positions” by early 2017.

Another 45 leg al and 50 technical judges were to be designated as ‘reserve’ judges, it said.

On October 10, the 18th preparatory committee was held in Paris, where the committee “took the opportunity to discuss the road ahead given the uncertainty that has arisen following the referendum in the UK”.

At the meeting, five member states reported they were in a position to ratify the agreement by January 2017.

In September, WIPR  reported that the Netherlands became the latest state to ratify the agreement, raising the total number of signatories to 11.

However, 13 member states including France, Germany and the UK must ratify the deal, and the latter two countries have yet to do so.

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