The start of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) was delayed today by two months. The sunrise period will now start on 1 March 2023 followed by entry into force of the UPCA on 1 June 2023. This delay is thought to be required to allow further time for users to get to grips with the strong authentication required for the case management system (CMS). 89% of users who responded to a recent survey were unable to access the CMS during the sunrise test practice period.
A joint statement by the President of the UPC Court of Appeal and the Acting Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the UPC indicated that no further delay was expected.