Benefits from the Unitary Patent over EP bundle patent (EP patent as today)
Unitary Patents will remove the need for complex and costly national validation procedures.
The European Patent Office acts as a one-stop-shop, allowing for a simple registration of a Unitary Patent.
No fees are due for the filing and examination of the request for unitary effect or for registration of a Unitary Patent.
No post-grant translations will be required after a six-year transitional period (during this period, a translation will be required for information only and will not have any legal effect)
For EU-based SMEs, natural persons, non-profit organisations, universities and public research organisations a new compensation scheme will cover costs related to the translation of the patent application if it was filed in an official EU language other than English, French or German. They will be paid a lump sum of EUR 500 when their Unitary Patent is registered.
Unitary Patents will also not be subject to the currently fragmented renewal fee system: there will be only one procedure, currency and deadline and no obligation to use a representative.
The renewal fees are set based on te top 4 countries (see costs). Applicants saves on indirect costs. The more countries in which the European patent would have been validated, the greater the costs savings.
All post-grant administration are handled centrally which reduces administrative workload.
The register includes legal status information relating to Unitary Patents – notably on licences and transfers. This will also help to foster technology transfer and investment in innovation.
Unitary Patents will confer truly uniform protection since the substantive patent law governing the scope and any limitations of the rights and the remedies available in cases of infringement has been harmonised in the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court.