Editing Unitary patent (section)

===Geographical scope of and request for unitary effect===
While the regulations formally apply to all 25 member states participating in the [[Enhanced cooperation#Unitary patent|enhanced cooperation for a unitary patent]], from the date the [[Unified Patent Court Agreement|UPC agreement]] has entered into force for the first group of ratifiers,{{refn|group=notes|name="UPC entry into force"}} unitary patents will only extend to the territory of those participating member states where the UPC Agreement had entered into force when the unitary effect was registered. If the unitary effect territory subsequently expands to additional participating member states for which the UPC Agreement later enters into force, this will be reflected for all subsequently registered unitary patents, but the territorial scope of the unitary effect of existing unitary patents will not be extended to these states.<ref name="geographical extension"/>

Unitary effect can be requested up to one month after grant of the European patent directly at the EPO, with retroactive effect from the date of grant. However, according to the ''Draft Rules Relating to Unitary Patent Protection'', unitary effect would be registered only if the European patent has been granted with the same set of [[claim (patent)|claim]]s{{refn|A European patent may be granted by the EPO with claims which are, for one or more States, different from those applicable to the other designated States. This rare situation may arise by virtue of {{EPC Rule|18|2}} or {{EPC Rule|138}}.|group=notes}} for all the 25 participating member states in the regulations,{{refn|This requires that all 25 states participating in the [[Enhanced cooperation#Unitary patent|enhanced cooperation regulations]] have been designated upon filing of the European patent application. For European patent applications filed after 1 April 2009, all Contracting States party to the [[European Patent Convention|EPC]] at the time of filing of the application are automatically designated,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/guidelines/e/a_iii_11_2_2.htm|title=Guidelines for Examination: 11.2.2 Payment of designation fee|publisher=European Patent Office|date= April 2014}}</ref> although designations may be withdrawn before grant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/guidelines/e/a_iii_11_3_8.htm|title=Guidelines for Examiniation: 11.3.8 Withdrawal of designation|publisher=European Patent Office|date=16 September 2013}}</ref> It was not possible to designate Malta before it became a party to the EPC on 1 March 2007.|group=notes}} whether the unitary effect applies to them or not.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bristowsupc.com/assets/files/Draft%20Unitary%20Patent%20rules%20-%20June%202014.PDF|title=Rules Relating to Unitary Patent Protection, Rule 5.I.2.|work=President of the European Patent Office|access-date=18 July 2014|date=6 June 2014|archive-date=26 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726194215/http://www.bristowsupc.com/assets/files/Draft%20Unitary%20Patent%20rules%20-%20June%202014.PDF|url-status=dead}}</ref> European patents automatically become a bundle of "national" European patents upon grant. Upon the grant of unitary effect, the "national" European patents will retroactively be considered to never have existed in the territories where the unitary patent has effect. The unitary effect does not affect "national" European patents in states where the unitary patent does not apply. Any "national" European patents applying outside the "unitary effect" zone will co-exist with the unitary patent.<ref name="geographical extension"/>

====Special territories of participating member states====
As the unitary patent is introduced by an EU regulation, it is expected to not only be valid in the mainland territory of the participating member states that are party to the UPC, but also in those of their [[Special member state territories and the European Union|special territories]] that are part of the European Union. As of April 2014, this includes the following fourteen territories:

* Cyprus: [[United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus|UN Buffer Zone]]
* Finland: [[Åland]]
* France: [[French Guiana]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[Martinique]], [[Mayotte]], [[Réunion]], [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]]
* Germany: [[Büsingen am Hochrhein]], [[Helgoland]]
* Greece: [[Mount Athos]]
* Portugal: [[Azores]], [[Madeira]]

In addition to the territories above, the [[European Patent Convention]] has been extended by two member states participating in the [[Enhanced cooperation#Unitary patent|enhanced cooperation for a unitary patent]] to cover some of their dependent territories outside the European Union:<ref>[http://archive.epo.org/epo/pubs/oj013/04_13/04_2523.pdf Synopsis of the territorial field of application of international patent treaties (situation on 1 March 2013)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625213426/http://archive.epo.org/epo/pubs/oj013/04_13/04_2523.pdf |date=25 June 2014 }}, EPO OJ 4/2013, p. 269, footnote 3</ref> In following of those territories, the unitary patent is de facto extended through application of national (French, or Dutch) law:

* France: [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]], [[Saint Barthélemy]], [[Saint-Pierre and Miquelon]] and [[Wallis and Futuna]]<ref name=EPO_FR/>
* Netherlands: [[Caribbean Netherlands]], [[Curaçao]], [[Sint Maarten]]<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stb-2023-119.pdf|publisher=officielebekendmakingen.nl|language=Dutch|date=14 April 2023|title=Besluit van 3 april 2023, houdende vaststelling van het tijdstip van inwerkingtreding van artikel I, onderdelen A tot en met Z en BB, en artikel II, van de Rijkswet van 30 oktober 2019 tot wijziging van de Rijksoctrooiwet 1995 in verband met de Overeenkomst betreffende een eengemaakt octrooigerecht en Verordening (EU) nr. 1257/2012|issue=119|journal=Staatsblad}}</ref><ref name=EPO_NL>{{cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/national-measures-up/en/iv/nl.htm?sm=c|work=EPO|access-date=24 April 2023|title=National measures relating to the Unitary Patent, Chapter IV: Netherlands|archive-date=24 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424203051/https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/national-measures-up/en/iv/nl.htm?sm=c|url-status=dead}}</ref>

However, the unitary patent does not apply in the French territories [[French Polynesia]] and [[New Caledonia]] as implementing legislation would need to be passed by those jurisdictions (rather than the French national legislation required in the other territories) and this has not been done.<ref name=EPO_FR>{{cite web|url=https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/national-measures-up/en/iv/fr.htm?sm=c|work=EPO|access-date=24 April 2023|title=National measures relating to the Unitary Patent, Chapter IV: France|archive-date=24 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424204556/https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/national-measures-up/en/iv/fr.htm?sm=c|url-status=dead}}</ref>