Last week, on July 8th 2022, the Administrative Committee (AC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) had its 2nd meeting in Luxembourg. We are pleased to report that the AC decided in favour of EPLIT becoming an observer of the UPC’s AC. During the meeting, EPLIT, in the form of our president Leythem Wall, was already able to provide comments on the latest draft of the Rules of Procedure (RoP) of the...
António Campinos reappointed President of the European Patent Office
The member states of the European Patent Organisation (29 June 2022) have voted for another five-year term in office for the President of the European Patent Office (EPO), António Campinos, commencing 1 July 2023. António Campinos was appointed as EPO President on 1 July 2018. Under his leadership the EPO launched its Strategic Plan 2023 in 2019, focusing on sustainability and delivering the...
CJEU – C-44/21 Preliminary Injunction
The reluctance of German Patent Infringement Courts to issue interlocutory injunctions on the basis of patents “merely” examined by a Patent Office may belong to the past: The CJEU in case C-44/21 ruled on 28th April 2022 that Article 9(1) of the Enforcement Directive (Directive 2004/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council dated 29 April 2004) precludes national case-law under which...
Amicus Brief on plausibility – G2/21
Please find here the amicus curiae brief submitted 26 April 2022 by EPLIT in respect of EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal pending case G2/21 – “Plausibility”. The referring Board of Appeal’s decision can be found here
The UPC Provisional Application Period Enters Into Force
Austria has completed the ratification of the ‘provisional protocol’ for the Unified Patent Court Agreement. This has initiated the startup phase of the Unified Patent Court. If this startup phase proceeds as planned and clears a last safety catch, the Unified Patent Court may open its doors by early 2023. On 19 January 2022 the Protocol to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court on provisional...
EPLIT Survey on Costs of Patent Litigation across Europe
EPLIT has conducted a survey among members on the costs of patent litigation proceedings in a selection of European jurisdictions.
Amicus Brief on videoconference oral proceedings – G1/21
EPLIT submitted an amicus curiae brief in respect of EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal pending case G1/21.
Article Virtual hearings: Legality goes online in WIPR
EPO VICO Proceedings – EPLIT Interview with World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) In light of the recent referral to the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal on videoconference Oral Proceedings, EPLIT President Leythem Wall has been interviewed by World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) on his and EPLIT’s views. Particular reference is made to the results of the survey that EPLIT conducted in...
EPLIT Position Paper and Survey on Oral Proceedings by videoconference by the EPO Boards of Appeal
Please find here EPLIT’s position paper on the EPO Board of Appeal User Consultation regarding Oral Proceedings by videoconference, submitted on 27 November 2020.
EPLIT has also carried out a survey with its members on the use of videoconferencing in examination, opposition and appeal proceedings at the EPO. The results of this survey can be found here.
EPLIT’s 9th Annual Meeting on 12 May 2022
EPLIT cordially invites you to attend the 9th Annual Meeting of EPLIT, which will be held on 12 May 2022 at the Hilton Brussels Grand Place in Brussels. There is also the possibility of following the meeting online. Following the positive developments with the UPC, Alexander Ramsay, Chair of the UPC Preparatory Committee, will give an update on the progress. Cristiano Morganti (CEO of Net Service...
Progress in Germany – UPC Constitutional Complaints Deemed Inadmissible
Publicly announced today, and in a unanimous order dated 23 June 2021, the Federal Constitutional Court has rejected the two applications for preliminary injunction made against the Act for ratifying the UPC Agreement in Germany. The constitutional complaints (2 BvR 2216/20 and 2 BvR 2217/20) were filed on 18 December 2020, the same day the Bundesrat (upper chamber of Germany’s parliament) had...
EPLIT 8th Annual Meeting
The 8th Annual Meeting has been held online on Thursday 27 May 2021 from 14.00 till 17.30 CET. As well as the annual update on EPLIT’s activities and progress, a panel session on oral hearings by videoconference in national proceedings across Europe has been held. For our second panel discussion, Tessa Donavan (EPO Opposition Division Member) and Graham Ashley...