UPC reason six: “Bonus” countries
27 January 2022
Where previously a European patent may have only been validated in, say, five EU countries, the Unitary Patent will cover at least 17 of the 27 member states for a lower cost to that of the five previously. These “bonus” countries could provide unexpected benefits to companies. Infringements can arise anytime and anywhere, so the impressive geographical coverage provided by the Unitary Patent could prove useful in the future.
Patent protection in these “bonus countries” could open the door to new market opportunities in countries where the business has not previously considered trading. Equally, companies could consider licensing opportunities to third parties in countries in which patent protection has been obtained via the Unitary Patent, but no active trading is taking place.
In this series, we give our top 10 reasons to welcome the Unitary Patent system and explore why the system is a great thing for innovative businesses. Watch this space!
