UPC
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Universal Product Code |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Business & Finance, Law & Legal |
UPC has three meanings. The most common are Universal Product Code (logistics, supply chain & trade) and Unified Patent Court (intellectual property); it can also stand for Uniform Probate Code.
Meanings of UPC at a glance
| # | UPC stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Universal Product Code | Business & Finance › Logistics, Supply Chain & Trade |
| 2 | Unified Patent Court | Law & Legal › Intellectual Property |
| 3 | Uniform Probate Code | Law & Legal › Estate and Family Law |
1. Universal Product Code
Business & Finance · Logistics, Supply Chain & Trade Abbreviations
Twelve-digit barcode standard printed on retail products in the United States and Canada, encoding a company prefix licensed from GS1 and an item number, scanned at checkout to identify the product and its price.
Example: Every product needs its own UPC before the retailer will list it.
The first UPC scan took place on June 26, 1974, at a Marsh supermarket in Troy, Ohio, on a pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum. The code itself carries no price; the store's system looks the price up. Companies should obtain UPCs from GS1 rather than cheap resellers, because major retailers and marketplaces check the registered company prefix.
2. Unified Patent Court
Law & Legal · Intellectual Property Abbreviations
International court shared by participating EU member states that hears infringement and revocation actions on European patents and unitary patents, issuing single judgments effective across all participating countries. It opened on June 1, 2023.
Example: The patentee sued in the UPC's Munich local division, seeking an injunction effective in every participating country.
Its Court of First Instance has local and regional divisions plus a central division seated in Paris, Munich and Milan, and its Court of Appeal sits in Luxembourg. Owners of existing European patents could opt out during a transitional period. Spain, Poland and Croatia do not participate. In estate law, UPC means the Uniform Probate Code.
3. Uniform Probate Code
Law & Legal · Estate and Family Law Abbreviations
Model law drafted by the Uniform Law Commission, first approved in 1969, that simplifies and standardizes probate, wills, intestate succession, guardianship and nonprobate transfers. It introduced informal probate without court hearings and the title "personal representative".
Example: Under the UPC's intestacy rules, a surviving spouse often takes the entire estate when all the children are also the spouse's.
States that adopted it in whole or large part include Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah. Many other states have borrowed individual provisions, such as the elective share and the harmless-error rule for wills. In patent law, UPC means the Unified Patent Court.
Related abbreviations
More logistics, supply chain & trade abbreviations
- SWB – Sea waybill
- TEU – Twenty-foot equivalent unit
- THC – Terminal handling charge
- TMS – Transportation management system
- VGM – Verified gross mass
- VMI – Vendor-managed inventory
- WMS – Warehouse management system
- WOS – Weeks of supply
See all 106 logistics, supply chain & trade abbreviations →
More intellectual property abbreviations
- TRIPS – Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
- TTAB – Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
- UDRP – Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy
- UKIPO – United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office
- USCO – United States Copyright Office
- USPTO – United States Patent and Trademark Office
- WIPO – World Intellectual Property Organization
- WO – WIPO international publication prefix
See all 50 intellectual property abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.