Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consult businesses and organisations involved in the use of patents on the ratification of the Unified Patent Court Agreement, in particular asking for views on UK participation in the agreement for up to two years from ratification until leaving the EU; and if so, whether they will complete those consultations before ratification takes place.

On 28 November, the Government confirmed its intention to continue with the process of ratifying the Unified Patent Court Agreement. The EU is not a party to that agreement and ratification should not be seen as pre-empting the UK's position in the forthcoming negotiations with the EU.

The options for the UK's intellectual property regime after EU exit, including the UK's future relationship with the Unified Patent Court, are being considered carefully.

The Government has engaged and will continue to engage with industry, intellectual property practitioners and other stakeholders to understand what leaving the EU means for all aspects of intellectual property, including patents and the Unified Patent Court.