They have been expected for so long and the UPC and Unitary Patent (UP) are now taking enormous strides. Italy has finally joined the Unitary Patent on 1st October 2015, which brings now the number of states involved in the UP to 26 out 28.
In parallel, the UPC Preparatory Committee has also announced that 7 countries – including France, Germany and United Kingdom – signed the Protocol on Provisional Application of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA), which allows an earlier application of some parts of the UPC agreement as well as early registration of opt-out demands. The UPC Preparatory Committee has also announced its aim to complete its work by June 2016 with a view to the UPC opening at the start of 2017.
At the same time, the CEIPI has started the UPC training for technically qualified judges. The program booklet is available here: Training program (PDF)