Editing Unitary patent (section)

=== Translation requirements for the European patent with unitary effect ===
For a unitary patent, ultimately no translation will be required (except under certain circumstances in the event of a dispute<ref name="32012R1260"/>{{rp|recital (8) and Art. 4}}), which is expected to significantly reduce the cost for protection in the whole area. However, Regulation 1260/2012 provides that, during a transitional period of minimum six years and no more than twelve years, one translation needs to be provided.<ref name="32012R1260"/>{{rp|Art. 6}} Namely, a full translation of the European patent specification needs to be provided either into English if the language of the proceedings at the EPO was French or German, or into any other EU official language if the language of the proceedings at the EPO was English.<ref name="32012R1260"/>{{rp|Art. 6}} Such translation will have no legal effect and will be "for information purposes only”.<ref name="32012R1260"/>{{rp|6.2, second sentence}} In addition, [[machine translation]]s will be provided, which will be, in the words of the regulation, "for information purposes only and should not have any legal effect".<ref name="32012R1260"/>{{rp|recital (11)}}

==== Comparison with the current translation requirements for traditional bundle European patents ====
In several EPC contracting states, for the national part of a traditional bundle European patent (i.e., for a European patent without unitary effect), a translation has to be filed within a three-month time limit after the publication of grant in the [[European Patent Bulletin]] under {{EPC Article|65}},{{refn|{{EPC Article|2|2}} provides that "[t]he European patent shall, in each of the Contracting States for which it is granted, have the effect of and be subject to the same conditions as a national patent granted by that State, unless this Convention provides otherwise." The provision of Article 65 EPC may therefore be viewed as an exception to Article 2(2) EPC. See also [[London Agreement (2000)]].|group=notes}} otherwise the patent is considered never to have existed (void ab initio) in that state. For the 22 parties to the [[London Agreement (2000)|London Agreement]], this requirement has already been abolished or reduced (e.g. by dispensing with the requirement if the patent is available in English, and/or only requiring translation of the [[claim (patent)|claim]]s).<ref name="translation requirements for national EPs">{{cite web|url=http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/natlaw/en/iv/index.htm|title=National law relating to EPC: IV. Translation requirements after grant|publisher=European Patent Office|access-date=1 August 2014|archive-date=19 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419144353/http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/natlaw/en/iv/index.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Translation requirements for the participating states in the enhanced cooperation for a unitary patent are shown below:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Participating member State ('''bold: unitary patents apply''') !! Translation requirements for a European patent without unitary effect<ref name="translation requirements for national EPs"/>!! Translation requirements for a European patent with unitary effect
|-
| '''Belgium, France, Germany,''' Ireland, '''Luxembourg''' || None || rowspan="4" | During a transitional period of minimum 6 years and maximum 12 years: one translation, so that the unitary patent is available in English and at least another EU official language.<br /> After the transitional period: none.
|-
| '''Latvia, Lithuania''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/natlaw/en/iv/lt.htm|title=National Law, Chapter IV: Lithuania. Translation requirements after grant|publisher=European Patent Office|date=28 January 2014|access-date=1 August 2014|archive-date=8 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808052149/http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/natlaw/en/iv/lt.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> '''Slovenia''' || Claims in the official language of the concerned State
|-
| '''Denmark, Finland,''' Hungary, '''Netherlands, Sweden''' || Description in English, claims in the official language of the concerned State
|-
| '''Austria, Bulgaria,''' Cyprus, Czech Republic, '''Estonia,''' Greece, '''Malta''', Poland, '''Portugal, Romania''', Slovakia || Translation of the complete patent in an official language of the concerned State
|}