Milan, Munich, and Paris allocated roles in the Unified Patent Court
UPC-News | 09.06.2023
Italy, France, and Germany have reached an agreement on the division of competences previously designated to London within the Unified Patent Court (UPC). The outcome of their trilateral discussions was presented during a meeting of the Administrative Committee on June 2, 2023. With the reference to London becoming obsolete after Brexit, the proposed amendment of the Agreement aims to redistribute responsibilities among the three seats of the UPC central division.
According to the proposal:
- Milan will handle IPC Section A patents (human necessities)
- Munich will oversee IPC Section C patents (chemistry and metallurgy), and
- Paris will be responsible for Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) from Sections A and C.
Member States are scheduled to meet again on June 26, 2023, with the intention of making a decision. If approved based on Article 87(2) of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA), the decision could become effective after a period of 12 months. In the meantime, the Presidium's decision on May 8, 2023, will govern the allocation of cases to the Paris seat and Munich section on a provisional basis.
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