Brexit and its impact on patents

1. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
BREXIT AND ITS IMPACT
ON PATENTS
Kiranmayi
Patent Department

2. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• On 29 March 2017, the UK Government served formal notice under Article 50
of The Treaty on European Union to terminate the UK's membership of the
EU following the June 2016 UK referendum on EU membership.
• Based on Article 50, the EU Treaties shall cease to apply to the UK and the
UK exit will take effect in March 2019.
• Negotiation of a new trade agreement with the EU could take several years
beyond 2019 although the Prime Minister has declared the objective of
achieving such an agreement within the two-year period.
LATEST UPDATE

3. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• Currently, European patents are granted by the European Patent
Office but they are enforced as national rights and thus a European
patent must be “validated” in one or more of the contracting states of
the European Patent Convention (EPC) to bring them into force.
• Owing to the independence of the EPC from the EU, if the UK were
to leave the EU, the UK would remain a contracting state to the EPC
and thus patent protection in the UK would still be able to be
obtained through a European patent under the EPC.
European system - Brexit

4. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• The European patent system currently would be unaffected
by the UK leaving the EU,
• A new proposed unified patent system within the EU is
scheduled to come into effect in 2017.
• In the event of a Brexit, this system would probably not
include the UK if it might not proceed at all.
Impact of Brexit

5. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• The unified patent system, currently scheduled to start in 2017,
would enable a “Unitary Patent” to be obtained following grant of
a European patent that would have effect within all the EU
member states once they have signed up to the new unified system.
• Unitary patents will be available as an alternative to the current
system and will be enforceable through a newly created “Unified
Patent Court” (UPC). However, the Unitary Patent and the UPC
could be in doubt in the event of a Brexit.
Unified Patent System & Unitary Patent

6. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
In the event of the UK leaving the EU, this will have an effect on the proposed unified patent
system. A couple of scenarios are envisaged.
• It is considered unlikely, in the event of a Brexit, that the UK would ratify the UPCA. This
would inevitably delay the start date of the unified patent system until the UK left the EU
owing to the requirement that ratification is needed from the three EU countries in which most
European patents are validated i.e. currently Germany, the UK and France.
• In the event of the UK leaving the EU and the unified patent system coming into effect, patent
protection in the UK from a European patent would not be able to be obtained via a unitary
patent. Instead, UK protection would have to be obtained via a UK validation (i.e. as per the
European Patent Convention system).
Validations in the UK would then have to be enforced through the UK courts. e.g. separate
actions in the UPC for the unitary Patents or national validations in EU member states.
Impact of a Brexit on the Unitary Patent

7. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
• Separation of UK presents the opportunity for the UK's laws to diverge from those of
Europe, and such separation may be embraced in some areas. However, in IP, this is
unlikely to happen to any significant extent given the interconnection of trade and the
universal recognition that harmonization is beneficial.
• The key development in the IP field is the likely exclusion of the UK from pan-
European rights systems.
• If the unified patent system were not to materialise, the European patent system would
continue as it exists currently and, as explained above, would be unaffected by a
Brexit.
• UK’s Exit is no longer going to be able to assert the same influence on Indian policy
which may undermine the position of UK-based IP and IT companies.
Possibilities in Indian Scenario

8. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Forms - UK

9. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
The long term future is still unclear. Thereafter, IP owners should
identify which of their rights are now likely to be affected and may
need further application/registration in order to achieve maximum
protection over that right.

10. CHENNAI
C2-A, Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
Chennai - 600 032.
Tel: +91 - 44 – 42104341/ 7341
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
The long term future is still unclear. Thereafter, IP owners should
identify which of their rights are now likely to be affected and may
need further application/registration in order to achieve maximum
protection over that right.