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The UPC has a Court of First Instance (divided into local, regional and central divisions) and a Court of Appeal (Luxembourg). Cases can commence in any one of these divisions according to the subject matter and the prescribed division set out in the UPC Agreement and the UPC Rules.
The UPC has a Court of First Instance (divided into local, regional and central divisions) and a Court of Appeal (Luxembourg). Cases can commence in any one of these divisions according to the subject matter and the prescribed division set out in the UPC Agreement and the UPC Rules.
The main seat of the central division is Paris with further seats in Munich and Milan (previously this was to have been a London seat until the UK's withdrawal from the UPC system).
The work of the central division is divided according to the subject matter of the patent in dispute based on IPC classifications.
Central division judges: The central division has a panel of three judges – two legally qualified judges and one technically qualified judge at all times. There is a mixture of nationalities on such panels.
The central division judges for each division are:
Paris:
Munich:
Milan: TBC
Local and regional divisions
The UPC website has a page confirming the location of the various local and regional divisions of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) (see here). Whilst all other participating states have one local court (or participate in the Nordic-Baltic regional division), Germany has four local division courts - Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Mannheim and Munich.
Under the UPC Agreement, Court of First Instance courts like these in states where there are on average more than 50 patent cases a year under current national patent litigation proceedings have a judicial panel of three legally qualified judges, two of whom are local nationals of that state (or of those states in the case of the regional division), plus one technically qualified judge.
Each technically qualified judge is appointed to a particular area or areas of technology.
Biotechnology
Gabriele Alt (DE) (date of appointment: 17.07.2023)
Xavier Dorland-Galliot (FR) (17.07.2023)
Andreas Gustafsson (SE) (17.07.2023)
Anna Hedberg (SE) (17.07.2023)
Mr Arwed Andreas Burrichter (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Eric Enderlin (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Rainer Friedrich (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Paolo Gerli (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Krister Karlsson (FI) (01.06.2023)
Mr Cornelis Schüller (NL) (01.06.2023)
Chemistry and Pharmaceutics
Gabriele Alt (DE) (date of appointment: 17.07.2023)
Xavier Dorland-Galliot (FR) (17.07.2023)
Andreas Gustafsson (SE) (17.07.2023)
Anna Hedberg (SE) (17.07.2023)
Mr Michael Alt (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Renaud Fulconis (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Rudi Goedeweeck (BE) (01.06.2023)
Mr John Meidahl Petersen (DK) (01.06.2023)
Ms Stefanie Parchmann (DE) (01.06.2023)
Ms Laure Sarlin (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Casper Struve (DK) (01.06.2023)
Mr Steen Wadskov-Hansen (DK) (01.06.2023)
Ms Carola Wagner (DE) (01.06.2023)
Jeroen Meewisse (NL) (07.08.2023)
Stefanie Philipps (DE) (16.08.2023)
Erwin Wismeth (DE) (9.10.2023)
Electricity
Guillaume Faget (FR) (17.07.2023)
Hergen Kapels (01.08.2023)
Klaus Loibner (AT) (17.07.2023)
Udo Matter (DE) (01.09.2023)
Mr Pascal Attali (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Eric Augarde (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Bertrand Cochet (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Alain Dumont (BE) (take up of duties as of 1 Nov 2023)
Mr Dennis Kretschmann (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Alessandro Sanchini (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Andrea Scilletta (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Simon Walker (FI) (01.06.2023)
Wiem Samoud (FR) (17.07.2023)
Alessandra Sani (IT/DE) (1.10.2023)
Anthony Soledade (FR) (17.07.2023)
Jürgen Tischler (DE) (1.08.2023)
Mechanical engineering:
Graham Ashley (DE/UK) (17.07.2023)
Nicolai Geier (DE) (01.08.23)
Merja Annikki Heikkinen-Keinänen (FI) (17.07.2023)
Mr Michel Abello (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Uwe Ausfelder (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Koen Callewaert (BE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Giorgio Checcacci (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Paolo Ernesto Crippa (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Claus Elmeros (DK) (01.06.2023)
Mr Frédéric Gaillarde (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Bernard Christiaan Ledeboer (NL) (01.06.2023)
Ms Elisabetta Papa (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Martin Schmidt (FR/DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Uwe Schwengelbeck (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Max Tilmann (DE) (01.06.2023)
Ms Marie-Paule Vandeberg (BE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Patrice Vidon (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Pascal Lucien Pierre Weber (FR) (01.06.2023)
Mr Stefan Wilhelm (DE) (01.06.2023)
Jeroen Meewisse (NL) (07.08.2023)
Kerstin Roselinger (SE) (17.07.2023)
Beate Schenk (DE) (1.08.2023)
Marc van der Burg (NL) (17.07.2023)
Physics
Guillaume Faget (FR) (17.07.2023)
Nicolai Geier (DE) (01.08.2023)
Hergen Kapels (DE) (01.08.2023)
Klaus Loibner (AT) (17.07.2023)
Udo Matter (DE) (01.09.2023)
Mr Michael Fleuchaus (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Anders Max Hansson (SE) (01.06.2023)
Ms Ulrike Keltsch (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Gérard Myon (FR) (01.06.2023)
Ms Dörte Otten-Dünnweber (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Andrea Perronace (IT) (01.06.2023)
Mr Christoph Dominik Schober (DE) (01.06.2023)
Mr Patrik Rydman (SE) (01.06.2023)
Wiem Samoud (FR) (17.07.2023)
Alessandra Sani (IT/DE) (1.10.2023)
Anthony Soledade (FR) (17.07.2023)
Jürgen Tischler (DE) (1.08.2023)
Erwin Wismeth (DE) (9.10.2023)
In terms of the languages of each court, the UPC website carries some general information here, as follows:
|
Division |
Language(s) |
---|---|---|
Local Division |
Vienna (AT) |
German, English |
Brussels (BE) |
Dutch, French, German, English |
|
Copenhagen (DK) |
Danish, English |
|
Helsinki (FI) |
Finnish, Swedish, English |
|
Paris (FR) |
French, English |
|
Düsseldorf (DE) |
German, English |
|
Hamburg (DE) |
German, English |
|
Mannheim (DE) |
German, English |
|
Munich (DE) |
German, English |
|
Milan (IT) |
Italian, English |
|
The Hague (NL) |
Dutch, English |
|
Lisbon (PT) |
Portuguese, English |
|
Ljubljana (SI) |
Slovenian, English |
|
Regional Division |
Nordic-Baltic (SE, EE, LT, LV) |
English |
For more on the UPC and unitary patent see our series of feature articles published in PLC Magazine's March and April editions 2022 and shared in pdf form on our IP blog here.
Italy Managing Partner, Joint Global Head of Intellectual Property, EMEA Co-Head of Life Sciences, Milan
Partner, Intellectual Property and Global Head of Cyber & Data Security, London
The contents of this publication are for reference purposes only and may not be current as at the date of accessing this publication. They do not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking any action based on this publication.
© Herbert Smith Freehills 2023
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