The Patent with Unitary Effect (=Unitary Patent) is there!
The Unitary Patent (UP) is a further option to the exsiting validation procedure of European patents (EP). UP makes it possible to get patent protection in up to 25 EU Member States by submitting a single request to the EPO. They will build on European patents granted by the EPO under the rules of the European Patent Convention (EPC), so nothing will change in the pre-grant phase (e.g. search-, examination, and granting procedures). After a European patent is granted, the patent proprietor can request unitary effect at the EPO, thereby getting a Unitary Patent which provides uniform patent protection in up to 17 EU Member States out of which - in July 2023 - 17 States already ratified the agreement.
The EPO provides a new Register for Unitary Patent Protection. Annual renewal fees for Unitary Patents will be paid to the EPO.
The Unitary Patent Court (UPC) is there!
The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is an international court set up by 25 of the participating Member States to deal with the infringement and validity of both Unitary Patents and European patents. Its rulings will apply in all Member States that have ratified the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC Agreement).
The UPC is a new international court set up to decide on the infringement and validity of Unitary Patents and "classic" European patents under the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC Agreement).
Following 17 states out of the 25 EU states already ratified the Agreements and will participate in the Unitary Patent: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden. (Source: https://www.epo.org/law-practice/unitary/unitary-patent.html)