The SPC reform which is currently undergoing the legislative procedure in the European Union has taken a further decisive step forward, as the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI Committee) has approved an amended version of the draft text of the four new EU regulations on SPCs for medicinal and plant protection products as…

A sweeping reform of the European Union’s legislation on supplementary protection certificates for medicinal products and plant protection products is currently underway, which features the introduction of a new centralized SPC examination procedure at the EUIPO as well as the creation of a new unitary SPC on the basis of the unitary patent, as previously…

The Unified Patent Court has refused to grant 10x Genomics a second preliminary injunction against rival NanoString, as it was not convinced of the infringement of 10x’s patent. The case concerned European Patent 2 794 928 B1 (EP 928 patent). In a reaction to the decision, 10x Genomics pointed out: ‘the injunctions granted by the…

The start of the Unified Patent Court is a very special time for patent enthusiasts in Europe. Johanna Flythström, a Helsinki-based partner of law firm Roschier has said this in a podcast interview on the occasion of the launch of the new UPC Case Law Tracker from Wolters Kluwer. “There was a lot of anticipation building…

The first two substantive public hearings of the Unified Patent Court will be held next month at the local division in Munich about applications for provisional measures. The hearings, on 5 (and if necessary 6) September and 19 September 2023, concern applications for preliminary injunctions in infringement cases brought by 10x Genomics against Nanostring Technologies….

The Administrative Committee of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has unanimously decided to establish a section of the UPC’s Central Division in Milan, as a replacement for London. As the UPC reported: ‘Based on article 87(2) of the Unified Patent Court Agreement the Committee took a decision to amend the Agreement with a view to…

Three technically qualified judges (TQJ) have resigned prior to the start of operations of the Unified Patent Court. According to a UPC announcement, Roman Maksymiw (DE), Grégoire Desrousseaux (FR) en Kirsikka Etuaho (FI) handed in their resignations received prior to 31 May 2023. The reason is not mentioned, but it is likely it is the…

Italy, France and Germany have agreed on and proposed a division of the competences that were originally designated to London, between the three seats of the UPC central division in Milan, Paris and Munich. Milan could start taking cases around July next year. According to the proposal of the three member states, Milan will be…

Since the opening of the Unified Patent Court last Thursday, it has received eighteen cases, a spokesperson told Kluwer IP Law. According to a report by patent attorney Joeri Beetz of Keltie LLP, the first European patent to be challenged appears to be EP3666797B1, a ‘very recently granted divisional of an Amgen patent application originally…

‘In about two years’ time the new system will launch’, was the expectation when this blogger was asked in the Autumn of 2014 to start following and writing about the Unitary Patent Package. A year before, 360 candidates had already submitted an ‘expression of interest’ to become a UPC judge, of which 124 were qualified…