According to the recently issued current timetable, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) will launch 1 April 2023.
Implementation roadmap – Outlook (unified-patent-court.org)
The coming into force of the Unitary Patent system will affect not only applications filed after it comes into effect but also applications which are already filed and European patents which are already granted. It is therefore essential for all owners of European patents or European patent applications to make decisions as to how to make optimal use of the new system.
Along with the Unitary Patent, a new court system will come into effect. This is called the Unified Patent Court (UPC). Unitary Patents will be dealt with by the UPC and existing European patents may be dealt with by this court. It is possible to opt out of the jurisdiction of the UPC and the sunrise period for opting out is expected to start on 1 April 2023.