The German government deposited its instrument of ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) with the Council of the European Union on February 17. The step marks the successful completion of the necessary ratification procedures by the participating EU member states for the Unitary Patent Package to become effective for currently 17 states. The new system is now ready to enter into operation on 1 June 2023. More countries are expected to join in the future.