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Swindell & Pearson Statement regarding the UK Referendum Result
June 29, 2016
Dear Clients and Colleagues,
Following the UK's decision to leave the European Union (EU), we wish to reassure you that for the time being, and for the foreseeable future, it's business as usual.
The decision to exit the EU may well lead to changes to the Intellectual Property rights granted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and other EU intellectual property rights as they relate to the UK. What any such changes might be and when they may occur is not known at present. We will of course be monitoring this carefully.
With regard to patents, the legal mechanism by which European patents are granted (the European Patent Convention) is not EU law, so this will remain unaffected.
As some of you may know, new EU legislation was expected to come into force in 2017 to commence the new European unitary patent system and introduce the Unified Patent Court. Commencement of this EU legislation currently requires UK ratification which might not now occur. In view of this, the future regarding the introduction of the new European unitary patent system and the Unified Patent Court is uncertain.
We will continue to monitor developments carefully and keep you updated. We will be in touch if and when actions are required to preserve your intellectual property rights.
It is our aim to ensure that the UK's exit from the EU has as little impact as possible in relation to our clients' intellectual property rights. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact your usual representative at Swindell & Pearson. You can reach us by phone at +44 1332 367 051 or by email at [email protected].
Swindell & Pearson Ltd
