A Practitioner's Guide to the Unified Patent Court and Unitary Patent provides practical and detailed advice on all aspects of the system for those using it. The book explains how the UPC system works in the context of the wider European patent system, including the UK, and how parties can use it to enforce or revoke European patents and the Unitary Patent, in particular: - The procedures of the UPC from initiating proceedings to appeal, damages and costs hearings; - Rules on competence, substantive law, jurisdiction, language and judges; - The operation of the system alongside the national courts of the contracting countries, the European Patent Office opposition and appeal procedure, and parallel English Patents Court proceedings. The book is written for private practitioners and in-house counsel by a team of patent experts with many years of experience in patent litigation in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. It provides insights from national approaches to the features above and gives answers to common problems.

"A Practitioner's Guide to the Unified Patent Court and Unitary Patent provides practical and detailed advice on all aspects of the system for those using it. The book explains how the UPC system works in the context of the wider European patent system, including the UK, and how parties can use it to enforce or revoke European patents and the Unitary Patent, in particular: - The procedures of the UPC from initiating proceedings to appeal, damages and costs hearings; - Rules on competence, substantive law, jurisdiction, language and judges; - The operation of the system alongside the national courts of the contracting countries, the European Patent Office opposition and appeal procedure, and parallel English Patents Court proceedings. The book is written for private practitioners and in-house counsel by a team of patent experts with many years of experience in patent litigation in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. It provides insights from national approaches to the features above and gives answers to common problems."--

This new edition is a comprehensive and practical guide to European patent law – a 'ius commune'. The book highlights the areas of consistency and difference between the most influential European patent law jurisdictions: the European Patent Office, England and Wales, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The book also draws insights from further afield, with contributions from other, very active, patent jurisdictions, including Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland. Uniquely, the book addresses European patent law by subject matter area, assessing the key national and EPO approaches together rather than nation by nation. Each chapter outlines the common ground between the national approaches and provides a guide for the possible application of European patent law in national courts and the UPC in the future. In addition to featuring content on new countries, the second edition includes new chapters dedicated to the substantive aspects of FRAND, declarations, and evidence. There is also an expanded commentary on construction, including common terms used in patent claims. A must-read for anyone working in the field of European patent law.

A new patent right for Europe (the European Patent with Unitary Effect) and a new European enforcement and invalidation regime (the Unified Patent Court) are expected to come into operation soon, potentially as early as 2015. Existing patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO), as well as those granted in the future, will automatically come under the jurisdiction of the new Court, unless opt-out rights are exercised. These measures represent one of the most complex and ambitious legal reforms in the field of European intellectual property since the creation of the EPO in 1977. For applicants and proprietors used to the current European system of national patents and national courts, the new system will present both opportunities and challenges in developing, maintaining and leveraging a cost-effective patent portfolio. For manufacturers, distributors and end-users, the new system will subject their activities to the jurisdiction of a new court, with unique and possibly unfamiliar powers and procedures. Decisions must therefore be made as to how best to take advantage of the possibilities afforded by the new system. Applicants and proprietors are already asking themselves questions such as: Should I start to register European patents as European Patents with Unitary Effect when they become available, or should I continue with national validation? For which European patents and applications should I make use of the opt-out to keep litigation in the national courts? Should I consider reverting to national filings instead of using the EPO? How will the new Unified Patent Court be structured, and how will it work? What choices will I have in future as to where to litigate – should I choose a national court or the UPC to enforce or invalidate a European patent? This Handbook provides both guidance for the strategic decisions which will have to be taken and a detailed reference manual to the law and practice of the new system.

"In this book the authors explain the course of proceedings before the Unified Patent Court. They look at the proceedings as they apply to the fundamental features of the EU patent, in particular its scope of protection, as well as procedural enforcement. As there is still no decision-making practice of the Court, the authors use the decision-making practice of the national courts, as a model. This will be a welcome addition to the libraries of patent lawyers across the 25 member states who have adopted Convention on the introduction of the EU patent with unitary effect."--

A new patent right for Europe (the European Patent with Unitary Effect) and a new European enforcement and invalidation regime (the Unified Patent Court) are expected to come into operation soon, potentially as early as 2015. Existing patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO), as well as those granted in the future, will automatically come under the jurisdiction of the new Court, unless opt-out rights are exercised. These measures represent one of the most complex and ambitious legal reforms in the field of European intellectual property since the creation of the EPO in 1977. For applicants and proprietors used to the current European system of national patents and national courts, the new system will present both opportunities and challenges in developing, maintaining and leveraging a cost-effective patent portfolio. For manufacturers, distributors and end-users, the new system will subject their activities to the jurisdiction of a new court, with unique and possibly unfamiliar powers and procedures. Decisions must therefore be made as to how best to take advantage of the possibilities afforded by the new system. Applicants and proprietors are already asking themselves questions such as: Should I start to register European patents as European Patents with Unitary Effect when they become available, or should I continue with national validation? For which European patents and applications should I make use of the opt-out to keep litigation in the national courts? Should I consider reverting to national filings instead of using the EPO? How will the new Unified Patent Court be structured, and how will it work? What choices will I have in future as to where to litigate - should I choose a national court or the UPC to enforce or invalidate a European patent? This Handbook provides both guidance for the strategic decisions which will have to be taken and a detailed reference manual to the law and practice of the new system.

This new edition offers a comprehensive and practical guide to European patent law. This book uniquely addresses European patent law using a thematic approach, assessing the national and EPO approaches together rather than in nation-by-nation chapters. Each chapter therefore enables the common ground, and differences, between approaches to be assessed. The most influential European patent law jurisdictions are covered in the book, including the leading cases from the European Patent Office, England and Wales, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The book also draws insights from further afield, with contributions from other, very active, patent jurisdictions, including Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland. In addition to featuring completely revised content on the fast-moving subject areas of FRAND and plausibility, and updates in all other areas of patent law, the 3rd edition includes for the first time fully integrated coverage of every substantive decision of the Unified Patent Court. A must-read for anyone working in the field of European patent law.

In 2013, twenty-five Member States of the European Union decided to take European patenting and patent enforcement to a next level. They agreed on a common patent title and a common patent court, i.e., the new Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. Unfortunately, the implementation phase of the new patent package appeared to be a bumpy ride ?non-participating Member States attacked the legal texts before the European Court of Justice, the Rules of Procedure of the Unified Patent Court were subject to extensive debates, the Brexit referendum slowed down the ratification process, etc. Nevertheless, the unitary patent package appeared to be a survivor. The exact date when the Unified Patent Court will open its doors and the first Unitary Patent will be registered is still unclear. But observers agree that both projects will most likely become operational in 2018. From that moment on, companies, research institutions, and individuals will be able to obtain not only a patent title with immediate effect in (eventually) twenty-five EU Member States, but also a court decision on (for example) infringement or validity of a European or Unitary Patent with effect in the participating Member States. The authors of this book, one being a lawyer who had a hand in the legal texts of the Unitary Patent and the other being a reputed Belgian intellectual property appeal judge, were the first in 2013 to publish an introduction to the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court. The current book is no longer an introduction but provides you with a comprehensive analysis of all aspects of this new patent and enforcement system. This book not only describes in detail all the provisions regarding the new patent and the new court, but also explains the history and the difficult implementation phase of the project. This book unravels all legal texts regarding the Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court, including the Rules of Procedure and all other Rules prepared by the Select Committee (for the Unitary Patent) and by the Preparatory Committee (for the Unified Patent Court). This book also includes flowcharts summarizing the important phases of the proceedings before the Unified Patent Court. For its deeply informed insights into the expected practical functioning of this revolutionary new patent and litigation system, this work is a peerless contribution that will ensure the most effective practice as this new regime begins. This extraordinary book is a must-have on the bookshelf of anyone involved or interested in European patenting.

A User's Guide to Patents, Fifth Edition provides guidance on the areas of European and UK patent law and procedure that are most important in day-to-day practice. This new edition sets out how patents can be obtained, exploited and enforced and addresses wider public policy aspects of patents and their economic significance, as well as past and likely future trends that affect legal practitioners. It is essential reading for IP practitioners, solicitors and barristers, patent attorneys, in-house lawyers, management executives and inventors. Unique selling points: Explains how patents can be exploited and enforced by reference to the most recent UK and EPO case law Identifies and discusses the different patent law issues that can arise in specific industrial sectors Full tabulation of all English patent validity and infringement decisions given after full trial since 1997 Addresses wider public policy aspects of patents and their economic significance, as well as past and likely future trends in the field, both in Europe and internationally The following relevant developments are included: The new UK law as to infringement by equivalents following Actavis v Lilly (UKSC 2017) The degree to which new types of plant, produced by using certain modern biotechnological techniques, can be patented in the light of the exclusion for 'products obtained by essentially biological processes' and the ongoing controversy as to this between the EPO, the EPO Boards of Appeal and the EU The developing case law in the UK and the EPO on plausibility in the context of insufficiency and obviousness The Unjustified Threats Act 2017 and other procedural developments, such as those involving Arrow type declarations of obviousness Developments in standards related patent litigation, as in Unwired Planet v Huawei (Patents Court 2017, CA 2018)

The Patent system in Europe will undergo major changes with the upcoming entry into force of the agreements establishing the Unified Patent Court and the Unitary Patent. It is within this context that this book was produced by practitioners for the use of practitioners. It consists of an organized analysis of the issues in the regulatory and legislative texts that we will all be facing tomorrow. Such a work must be considered as an initial set of tools, comprising a large number of instruments, in order to facilitate its practical use.