In their 36^th meeting on 14 October 2026, the Select Committee of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation met under the chairmanship of Paul van Beukering (Principal Advisor in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Netherlands).

The Select Committee reviewed recent developments in the Unitary Patent system, calling for wider participation to unlock the system’s full benefits for the European Union’s internal market.

Operational report – demand continues to grow

The European Patent Office (EPO) has received some 108 000 requests for unitary effect since the system’s launch in 2023, with average processing times below ten days and high user satisfaction. Uptake is approaching 44% among proprietors based in the EU, while almost two-thirds of European SMEs seeking patent protection choose unitary effect. Demand for Unitary Patents from outside Europe has picked up strongly since last year, with global uptake rising to about 31% to date, up from 28.7% in 2025 and 25.6% in 2024. 

The Select Committee gave a favourable opinion on the 2026 statements on the income and expenditure relating to Unitary Patent Protection and the proposed 2027 budget, and noted the longer-term financial projections for participating EU Member States. The European Commission also indicated that its first report on the operation of the Unitary Patent system, to which the EPO successfully contributed, is expected by the end of 2026.

Unified Patent Court broadens its services

The Select Committee took note of the continued growth in cases before the UPC’s Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal and welcomed the effective operation of the UPC, as well as the successful delivery of services offered by the UPC’s recently inaugurated Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC).

Source：European Patent Office (EPO) News；2026-10-20；https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/select-committee-commends-strong-unitary-patent-uptake-and-sme-engagement-0