LD Brussels, July 23, 2026, Decision on Public Access to the Register, UPC_CFI_2192/2026

Granting access to a case file is the general rule and restricting access is the exception (Sec. 7). However, where proceedings are still ongoing, public access to the register requires a “more specific” or “direct legitimate” interest of the applicant to override the interest in protecting the integrity of the proceedings (Sec. 13, with reference to UPC CoA Ocado v Autostore) . Such interest may particularly exist if the applicant is a competitor or licensee with regard to the products within the scope of the patent-in-suit. Also, it would be helpful to specify any client, product or allegation of infringement in relation to the patent in question to meet the threshold for access (Sec. 15).

The mere assertion that the applicant, such as an attorney firm, generally advises “pharmaceutical companies in many areas in technology” and that the proceedings are “highly relevant to Applicant’s business” without identifying any specific client, product or infringement allegation connected to the patent-in-suit does not constitute such a specific interest (Sec. 15).