Düsseldorf, July 4, 2024 – On June 27, 2024, the Milan seat of the Unified Patent Court’s central division opened. The third seat was originally assigned to London – alongside Paris and Munich. Due to Brexit and following a decision of the UPC Administrative Committee under Article 87 (2) of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPCA) of June 26, 2023, Milan now replaces London as the location of the third seat.
The new seat will deal primarily with IPC (International Patent Classification) class A cases without supplementary protection certificates. IPC class A includes technical inventions for everyday use. The panel of judges at the Milan location is made up of an Italian presiding judge, as well as a German and a Dutch judge.
“The new, multinational seat in Milan underscores the idea of the UPC as a joint European project and as an authority for uniform patent protection,” says Mathias Karlhuber, patent attorney and partner at Cohausz & Florack.
Picture credits: Igor Saveliev_pixabay.com