UK has doubts on UPC but commits to SPCs

The UK’s participation in Europe’s unified patent court (UPC) hangs in the balance in the event of no deal being reached on the UK’s ‘Brexit’ departure from the European Union (EU) in March 2019, according to guidance issued by the UK government on intellectual-property (IP) issues relating to pharmaceuticals, including patents and supplementary protection certificates (SPCs). But even with no deal, the UK will continue to offer SPCs.