The Italian government has tabled draft legislation needed to enable the Central division of the Unified Patent Court based in Milan to open in June 2024.

A further step towards the opening of the Italian central division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) in Milan was taken on 15 February 2024, when the Italian government announced that it has tabled draft legislation needed to implement the agreement between Italy and the UPC concerning the Italian seat of the court’s third central division, signed in Rome on 26 January 2024.

By signing the agreement, Italy has committed to making the new division’s premises (that already exist) freely available to the UPC and to recognising its legal status; Italy must guarantee the services necessary for the central division to operate, as well as bear its costs; the agreement also sets forth that the new division’s premises are inviolable without the consent of the President of the UPC’s Court of First Instance; lastly, it provides for social security and healthcare of UPC workers in Italy, stipulates that Italian authorities must facilitate the entry and permanence in Italy of UPC staff members and regulates the international liability of the UPC deriving from its activities in Italian territory.

The draft law is expected to be approved by the Italian parliament shortly, to enable the Italian central division of the Unified Patent Court to open in June 2024.

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