Legal

IP lawyers express concern about Unified Patent Court

Many lawyers back the proposals but there are some misgivings about the effects of changing the current system

Ireland is due to hold a referendum on joining the patent court later this year.

There is disagreement among legal professionals on the benefits of Ireland participating in a new EU patent court, with some warning that it could threaten Ireland’s economy.

A referendum will be held in June on Ireland joining the Unified Patent Court (UPC) which was established last year to rule on the validity and infringement of various patents across participating member states.

It deals with unitary patents, which provide protection across the 17 participating member states, ...