{"id":28580,"date":"2025-01-30T13:58:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-30T13:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580"},"modified":"2025-02-04T17:28:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T17:28:22","slug":"english-unified-patent-court-has-jurisdiction-over-infringement-proceedings-in-the-uk-the-dusseldorf-local-divisions-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/flash-news\/unified-patent-court-has-jurisdiction-over-infringement-proceedings-in-the-uk-the-dusseldorf-local-divisions-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"

The D<\/em>\u00fcsseldorf Local Division of the Unified Patent Court has found that the court\u2019s jurisdiction in infringement proceedings can include the portion of a European patent with validity in the United Kingdom.<\/em><\/p>\n

On 28 January 2025 the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division (DLD) of the Unified Patent Court<\/a> (UPC) issued a decision stating that under certain circumstances the UPC is competent in the United Kingdom (UK) for infringement proceedings concerning a European patent that is valid in that state.\"UK<\/p>\n

You may be forgiven for believing that European patent states not participating in the UPC fall outside its jurisdiction. The DLD\u2019s ruling in case UPC_CFI_355\/2023<\/a> reveals that it is not always that simple.<\/p>\n

Facts and arguments in the case<\/span><\/h2>\n

Fujifilm brought proceedings before the UPC against three Kodak companies for infringement of its European patent EP 3594009 B1 with validity in Germany and in the UK. The defendants argued against the competence of the UPC on the portion of the patent with validity in the UK.<\/p>\n

Articles 34 and 31 UPCA<\/em><\/p>\n

The defendants claimed that according to Article 34 of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA) the UPC\u2019s decisions only cover the territory of the UPCA\u2019s member states in which the European patent has effect – and pointed out that the UK is no longer a UPC member state.<\/p>\n

The DLD did not agree, and supported Fujifilm\u2019s argument that Article 34 of the UPCA covers the territorial scope of the UPC\u2019s decision within the territory <\/em>of the UPCA\u2019s member states, but does not exclude decisions having effect beyond<\/em> such territory.<\/p>\n

The DLD took the view that in the case at issue, the UPC has jurisdiction under Article 31 of the UPCA, stating that \u201cthe international jurisdiction of the UPC shall be established in accordance with the European Union\u2019s Regulation 1215\/2012\u201d.<\/p>\n

Brussels I bis regulation<\/em><\/p>\n

The European Union\u2019s Regulation 1215\/2012 (aka<\/em> Brussels I bis Regulation) concerns jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters.<\/p>\n

Article 24(4)<\/p>\n

The defendants invoked the regulation\u2019s Article 24(4), setting forth that proceedings concerning the registration or validity of patents<\/em> are exclusive competence of the national courts of European Union member states.<\/p>\n

The DLD pointed out that such a provision must be read in the light of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union \u2013 the highest authority on the interpretation of European Union law – which has expressly ruled out the applicability of Article 24(4) in patent<\/em> infringement<\/em> proceedings.<\/p>\n

In addition, Article 24(4) only applies to proceedings between EU member states. Since the UK is no longer a member state of the EU, Article 24(4) cannot give exclusive jurisdiction to the UK\u2019s national courts over the national portion of a European patent with validity in the UK.<\/p>\n

Article 4(1)<\/p>\n

The DLD concluded that the UPC has jurisdiction in the UK based on the combined reading of Article 31 of UPCA and of Article 4(1) of the Brussels I bis regulation.
\nArticle 4(1) sets forth that \u201cpersons domiciled in a [European Union] member state shall, whatever their nationality, be sued in the courts of that member state\u201d. Under the same regulation, the UPC is a court of a European Union member state.<\/p>\n

Outcome<\/span><\/h2>\n

In the case at issue, the defendants are all domiciled in Germany, which is of course a European Union member state.<\/p>\n

The DLD therefore concluded that based on Article 31 UPCA and Article 4(1) Brussels I bis, as well as on the fact that in the proceedings brought by Fujifilm for infringement of its European patent EP 3594009 B1 the defendants are all domiciled in Germany, the UPC has jurisdiction over both the German and the UK portion of the patent.<\/p>\n

The above is certainly a very interesting finding, albeit void of practical effects in the case at issue, as the DLD declared the German portion of Fujifilm\u2019s patent to be invalid; for the same reason, the DLD refused to grant remedies regarding infringement in the UK.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Further information<\/span><\/h2>\n

Questions on patent protection in Europe?\u00a0Contact us<\/a>, we are happy to help.<\/p>\n

Visit our UPC Hub\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Meet our UPC Team<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Related content<\/em><\/p>\n

Articles – Further clarification on imminent infringement of a medicinal product in Unified Patent Court law<\/a> \u2013 C. Germinario<\/p>\n

Flash news – A close look at the competence over pharmaceuticals of Milan\u2019s UPC Central Division<\/a><\/p>\n

Articles – Imminent infringement of a medicinal product under UPC rules: an interesting decision<\/a> \u2013 C. Germinario<\/p>\n

Articles – Mushrooms are patentable in Europe: ruling of the Unified Patent Court The Hague Local Division<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division of the Unified Patent Court has found that the court\u2019s jurisdiction in infringement proceedings can include the portion of a European patent with validity in the United Kingdom. On 28 January 2025 the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division (DLD) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) issued a decision stating that under certain circumstances […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[13,78],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUnified Patent Court has jurisdiction in UK over infringement proceedings: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: read about the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction in UK over infringement proceedings: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: read about the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-01-30T13:58:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-04T17:28:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/UK_Unified_Patent_Court45.t.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"263\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"165\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Ercoli\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"Intellectual Property since 1882\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/UK_Unified_Patent_Court45.t.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/UK_Unified_Patent_Court45.t.png\",\"width\":263,\"height\":165,\"caption\":\"UK Unified Patent Court\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580\",\"name\":\"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction in UK over infringement proceedings: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-30T13:58:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-04T17:28:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#\/schema\/person\/3988cde84153da4b745510f0712d395b\"},\"description\":\"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: read about the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"(English) Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#\/schema\/person\/3988cde84153da4b745510f0712d395b\",\"name\":\"Laura Ercoli\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40352aead1e319e41371a554b61ab9b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40352aead1e319e41371a554b61ab9b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Laura Ercoli\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/author\/lercoli\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction in UK over infringement proceedings: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling","description":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: read about the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction in UK over infringement proceedings: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling","og_description":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: read about the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580","article_published_time":"2025-01-30T13:58:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-04T17:28:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":263,"height":165,"url":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/UK_Unified_Patent_Court45.t.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Laura Ercoli","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/","name":"","description":"Intellectual Property since 1882","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/UK_Unified_Patent_Court45.t.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/UK_Unified_Patent_Court45.t.png","width":263,"height":165,"caption":"UK Unified Patent Court"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580","name":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction in UK over infringement proceedings: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2025-01-30T13:58:03+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-04T17:28:22+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#\/schema\/person\/3988cde84153da4b745510f0712d395b"},"description":"Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: read about the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/?p=28580#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"(English) Unified Patent Court has jurisdiction over infringement proceedings in the UK: the D\u00fcsseldorf Local Division\u2019s ruling"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#\/schema\/person\/3988cde84153da4b745510f0712d395b","name":"Laura Ercoli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40352aead1e319e41371a554b61ab9b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40352aead1e319e41371a554b61ab9b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Laura Ercoli"},"url":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/author\/lercoli\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28580"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28580"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28645,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28580\/revisions\/28645"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sib.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}