The international Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC), signed in February 2013, entails the establishment of an international court that will, when operational, have exclusive competence for actions for infringement and validity in respect of the new European unitary patent. My Department chairs an inter-Departmental Committee with relevant Departments of State to inform the policy choice in relation to Ireland’s participation in the international Court, when it is established. Given that responsibility overall for the administration of the Courts in Ireland comes within the remit of the Minister for Justice and Equality, there has been and will continue to be active engagement between my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality and the Courts Service on this issue.
Moreover, in order to better inform the policy choices in relation to Ireland’s participation in the patent Court, my Department has undertaken a consultation with a broad stakeholder base, including industry representative bodies and the enterprise agencies under this Department, to help inform consideration of this issue. A number of responses to the consultation point to the potential benefits of locating a local instance Court in Ireland, not least in terms of building the perception of Ireland as a knowledge economy given the importance of research and innovation activities and to contribute towards improving the attractiveness of Ireland as a location for investment leading to economic growth and increased employment. It is expected that this matter will be brought to Government before the summer recess.