Italy has become the 26th Member State out of 28 in the European Union to sign up to the Unitary Patent. When it finally becomes law, the Unitary Patent system will provide for people to obtain patent protection in the EU across all participating Member States through a single patent. Up until then, it is only possible to have separate patents in each EU Member State, although a bundle of national patents can be obtained through a single application. The unitary effect will mean that there will be a system for a single patent with a single set of fees, and a single court, which will be the Unified Patent Court. With a single patent will come uniform application, and revocation in one place will apply everywhere rather than just for an individual country. Italy, Spain and Croatia had previously decided not to join the system – partly over issues surrounding the languages to be used, with patents being accepted in English, French or German with no further translations made automatically. Italy has now removed its objection, which is good news for Italy to be part of the club, as well as those who want to see an all-encompassing single patent scheme across as many countries in Europe as possible.
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