Press Release: Business Secretary seals agreement to bring patent court to London

The UK Business Secretary, Vince Cable, on 19 February 2013, finalised the deal for a new patent court to be based in London when attended a signing ceremony in Brussels.

The seat of the Central Division of the Court of First Instance of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), along with the office of the President of the Court of First Instance, will be located in Paris. Thematic clusters will be created in two sections of the Central Division, one in London (chemistry, including pharmaceuticals, classification C, human necessities, classification A), the other in Munich (mechanical engineering, classification F).

The new court and patent system creates a one-stop shop for companies wanting to protect their business ideas in Europe and will bring at least £200 million to the economy each year.