Aanhef

The undersigning Contracting Member States of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court,

Considering that the Unified Patent Court has been established by the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court of 19 February 2013 as an international organisation with legal personality in each Contracting Member State;

Recalling that the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court provides, in Article 37(1), that Contracting Member States hosting the central division of the Court of First Instance or one of its sections, a local or regional division of the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court shall provide facilities and, during the initial seven years, also administrative support staff;

Recalling that the Statute of the Unified Patent Court provides, in Article 8, that the Protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union shall apply to the judges of the Unified Patent Court;

Recalling that Article 8(4) of the Statute of the Unified Patent Court covers both the privileges and immunities of the judges of the Unified Patent Court and that the application of the Protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union to the judges of the Unified Patent Court has been foreseen because of the intrinsic link of the latter with the European patent with unitary effect and cannot create any precedent for the application of that Protocol to other international organizations with regard to the host nation policies of the Contracting Member States;

Recalling that the Administrative Committee has the competence to set up an internal tax and a social security scheme under the powers of administration which are conferred to it by the Unified Patent Court Agreement;

Recalling that the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court provides, in Article 4, that the Unified Patent Court shall enjoy the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under the national law of that State;

Recognizing that the Unified Patent Court needs to benefit from privileges and immunities which are necessary for the exercise of its functions;

Considering that a common approach on how to address issues of privileges and immunities is essential in view of the needs of the Unified Patent Court and of the Contracting Member States;

Recognizing that additional bilateral Headquarter Agreements may be concluded between the Unified Patent Court and Contracting Member States hosting the central division of the Court of First Instance or one of its sections, a local or regional division of the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court.

Have agreed as follows: