Author: Kerstin Galler
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Court of Appeal, December 29, 2025, decision on revocation action, UPC_CoA_71/2025
Accuracy of translation to be checked at an early stage: The Appellant argued that a translation of a Korean prior art document filed by the Respondent in first instance was incorrect and at best inaccurate and filed own translations on appeal. The CoA holds that these translations are late filed and shall be disregarded. Given…
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Court of Appeal, Standing Judge, December 29, 2025, order regarding an application for suspensive effect, UPC-COA-0000936/2025
No “manifestly” erroneous decision if point of contention is a complex issue requiring in-depth-analysis: The Appellant argues that the impunged order of the LD Mannheim is based on the evidently incorrect assumption that a decision by the UK Court on a request for a court determined license by the Appellant would be equal to an…
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Court of Appeal, December 23, 2025, decision on application for withdrawal, UPC_CoA_523/2024
No waiver of court fees in the context of an application for withdrawal: In principle, pursuant to Rule 250 RoP, the court may waive payment of the fee for a rehearing in the circumstances contemplated by Rule 245.2(a) or (b) RoP (fundamental procedural defect or criminal offence). However, it can only be decided in the…
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Court of Appeal, December 22, 2025, decision on access to written pleadings and evidence, UPC-COA-0000886/2025
Interest in accessing documents not precluded by additional commercial interests: A law firm may also be a member of the public within the meaning of R. 262.1 (b) RoP, see already order of 9 January 2024, UPC_CoA_480, UPC_CoA_481/2024, Abbott v Powel Gilbert. The fact that a law firm (Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP) also pursues…
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Court of Appeal, December 19, 2025, decision on public access to the register, UPC_CoA_523/2024
No access to the register for a company that commercializes access to its subscribers: The objectives of balancing the interests pursuant to Art. 45 UPCA, and the requirement of representation ensure the proper conduct of proceedings, and would be compromised if access to written pleadings and evidence was granted pursuant to R. 262.1(b) RoP to…
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LD Mannheim, September 16, 2025, order on the production of evidence, UPC_CFI_247/2025
Production of license agreements in FRAND context ordered.: Pursuant to R. 190 RoP and taking into account the stage of the proceedings, the production of license agreements was ordered insofar as the claimant agreed to submit the license agreements specified by it but could not receive the consent of its respective contractual partners to submit…
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LD Mannheim, September 12, 2025, Order of the President of the Court of First Instance, UPC_CFI_481/2025
Key takeaway If the language of proceedings shall be changed and the parties’ interests are weighed, the defendant’s interests shall prevail in the event of equal outcome.: In the event that the weighing of interests of the defendant and the claimant results in a draw, the position of the defendant – having not initiated the…
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LD Paris, September 17, 2025, Procedural Order, UPC_CFI_697/2025
Key takeaway Appropriate length of objection is related to length of application for provisional measures.: The application filed had a length of 30 pages. Even though two intellectual property titles (a patent and its corressponding supplementary protection certificate) are at issue, the 470-page objection filed by the respondent was held to be inappropriate in the…
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LD Duesseldorf, September 12, 2025, procedural order on further exchanges of written pleadings, UPC_CFI_733/2024
Strict requirement for R. 36 RoP application for written submissions beyond those foreseen in the Rules: The correct means to introduce written pleadings outside the regime provided for in the Rules of Procedure is an application pursuant to R. 36 RoP. Such an application must be made prior to the date on which the judge-rapporteur…
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LD Duesseldorf, September 12, 2025, procedural order on subsequent application to amend patent, UPC_CFI_733/2024
Proportionality, flexibility, fairness, and equity are criterions for exercising discretion on admission of subsequent application to amend the patent: In exercising its discretion pursuant to R. 30.2 RoP, the court assesses whether an admission of a subsequent application to amend the patent complies with the principles of proportionality, flexibility, fairness, and equity. Substantial and specific…
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CoA, May 28, 2025, Order, UPC_CoA_808/2024
Reimbursement of fees: no extension of written procedure by opportunity for further written submissions.: In appeal proceedings (without cross-appeal), the written procedure ends with the submission of the statement of response by the respondent pursuant to R 235, R 239.1 RoP. The written procedure is not extended if the parties are allowed to file further…
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LD Mannheim, May 28, 2025, Order, UPC_CFI_410/2023
No reimbursement of court fees after withdrawal on the eve of the pronouncement of the decision on the merrits.: Assuming an exceptional case pursuant to R 370.9 (e) RoP, the court denies the reimbursement of court fees. The court points out that at the time of withdrawal, the decision was fully drafted and signed and…
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LD Paris, May 23, 2025, Decision on the merits, UPC_CFI_163/2024
Assessment of original disclosure: The possibility of alternative options for relative positions of two elements of the claimed subject matter does not imply that a feature directed at one of the elements lacks support, as these alternatives are options, and are not inextricably connected with the arrangement of the feature as claimed (sec. 66). Provided…
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LD The Hague, May 23, 2025, Order on preliminary objection, UPC_CFI191/2025 and 192/2025
International jurisdiction by anchor defendant.: Pursuant to Art. 8(1) Brussels ibis Regulation (BR), a person domiciled in an EU Member State may also be sued, where he is one of a number of defendants, in the courts for the place where one of them is domiciled. In the present case, the judge rapporteur held it…
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Court of Appeal, February 19, 2025, order on release of cost security, UPC_CoA_217/2024
R. 352.2 RoP is applied by way of analogy with regard to the release of security for legal costs.: R. 352.2 RoP directly concerns the release of a security for enforcement but should be applied by way of analogy in a case in which security for legal costs has been deposited and afterwards the action…
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LD Munich, February 14, 2025, order on preliminary objection, UPC_CFI_437/2024
A preliminary objection based on questions regarding the claimant’s standing to bring an action is inadmissible or at least unfounded.: The Court’s jurisdiction and competence, as referred to in R. 19.1 RoP, is not linked to whether a person bringing an action is ultimately entitled to bring the action or whether it is fully entitled…
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Court of Appeal, February 14, 2025, order on request for provisional measures, UPC_CoA_382/2024
Claim construction regarding means-plus-function features.: Means-plus-function features must be understood as any feature suitable for carrying out the function (headnote 1, para. 47). Added matter assessment.: General provisions: The Court must ascertain what the skilled person would derive directly and unambiguously using their common general knowledge and seen objectively and relative to the date of…