A protocol to the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPC Agreement) was signed in the margins of yesterday’s Competitiveness Council of the European Union.

The protocol allows an early application of parts of the UPC Agreement concerning final decisions on court’s practical setup, such as the recruitment of judges and testing of IT systems. The provisional application phase also permits the early registration of opt-out demands (whereby European patent applicants or holders can opt for the jurisdiction of national courts of designation/validation states).

In its release on the new protocol the UPC Preparatory Committee said that its work should be completed by June 2016, with a view to the IPC opening early in 2017.