Big three European states delay unitary patent with fight to host court

The unitary patent agreement has been delayed yet again­—by a fight between France, Germany and the UK, who all want to host the patent court’s central division.

Despite agreement on the overall patent package, which has been under development for more than 30 years, the unitary patent cannot be signed off until all countries agree on a location for the court. The agreement’s signing ceremony, scheduled to take place in Warsaw on 22 December, was cancelled.