The new year could bring major changes to intellectual property laws in the European Union. Writing for International Lawyers Network, Eddie Powell of the London-based IP firm Fladgate recently published a rundown of what to expect. Here are some of his predictions:

• Patents: For decades, EU member states have contemplated a unitary patent and a Unified Patent Court. The president of the European Patent Office said in December that there is a “complete secondary legal framework” in place and that “the preparations for the unitary patent are complete.” But before the new patent system can become a reality, a handful of member states, including Germany and the U.K., need to ratify the UPC agreement. Powell says to expect key ratifications this year.

• Copyright: Streaming those Netflix shows could be easier throughout Europe this year. In December, the EU Commission proposed a copyright reform making it illegal to prevent subscribers to digital content services in one member state from fully accessing and using the service if they are in another member state. “The Commission hopes that the new regulation will be passed in 2016 for implementation in 2017,” Powell writes.