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IP Rights Protection in Europe

IP Rights Protection in Europe. Prague, 21-22 May 2009 Kim Finnilä. epi. Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (Article 134a EPC) EPO maintains a list of the professional representatives (Article 134 EPC)

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IP Rights Protection in Europe

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  1. IP Rights Protection in Europe Prague, 21-22 May 2009 Kim Finnilä Kim Finnilä

  2. epi • Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (Article 134a EPC) • EPO maintains a list of the professional representatives (Article 134 EPC) • Any person on the list shall be a member of epi (Article 134a EPC) • epi has more than 9000 members in the 35 EPC Contracting States Kim Finnilä

  3. Unified Patent Litigation System (UPLS) • Enormous progress has been made in the last years, which is to be congratulated! • The crucial next steps would be to: • ask the ECJ for an opinion regarding the compatibility of the UPLS with the EC founding treaty [Article 300(6)] • authorize the Commission to open negotiations with the EPC Contracting States outside the Community regarding the litigation system • We certainly hope that these measures would be taken without delay so that Europe could be provided with the essential missing leg of a complete European patent system Kim Finnilä

  4. Art. 6 & 7 - UPLS 7928/09, 23.03.09 • Patents, particularly the claims, could well be called cross-disciplinary (technical-legal) agreements • For interpretation one needs both technical and legal competence • For this reason we believe it would be most advantageous to always have a technical judge on the panels (optional at first instance, except central division, requirement at court of appeal) Kim Finnilä

  5. Art. 15 & 15a - UPLS, 7928/09, 23.03.09 • The proposed system still provides a split jurisdiction, or at least a semi-split jurisdiction • The decisive element in relation to deciding on the validity of the patent seems to be the availability of a technical judge [Art. 15a(2)(a)-(c)] • By having a technical judge on each panel the complications, additional costs and delays resulting from Art. 15a(2)(a)-(c) would be avoided • Consolidated proceedings (non-split jurisdiction) for infringement and validity would be the way to ensure expeditious and high quality decisions in a most efficient and cost effective manner Kim Finnilä

  6. Art. 28 & 22 - UPLS, 7928/09, 23.03.09 • Art. 28(2) now provides for representation by European Patent Attorneys having an appropriate qualification, such as a European Union Patent Litigation certificate • CEIPI* and epi have run a course on ”Patent Litigation in Europe” since 2003 – since then we have trained about 300 European Patent Attorneys in litigation proceedings [for various European countries] • We would certainly be pleased to cooperate and to adopt and to develop this course to i.a. the ”Rules of Procedure” – UPLS in order to provide a common European platform for said certificate/training • *Centre d’études internationales de la proprété intellectuelle Kim Finnilä

  7. Community Patent Regulation (CPR) • This project has also been long running, and now we have a revised proposal (8588/09, 07.04.09) as a result of hard work during the last years – congratulations! • The purpose is to provide a third option [in addition to national and European patents] for patent protection within Europe • The pre-grant stage shall be governed by the EPC (recital 2a, 2b, 3,4a, ..., Article 2) • The European Community shall accede to the EPC (recital 3 – the Regulation can be/should be limited to the Community patent once granted)! Kim Finnilä

  8. Art. 11, 24+ – CPR, 8588/09, 07.04.09 • However, in the pre-grant stage, there are some differences to the EPC: • A Community patent application is defined as being a separate instrument vis-à-vis a European patent application • Article 11, rights conferred by Community patent application • Article 24, the Community patent application as an object of property • Article 24a, language and filing of the Community patent application • Article 24b, translations for the provision of information • Article 24d, conversion of a Community patent application • Are these differences advisable, necessary or purposeful? • In view of the accession of the European community to the EPC it would perhaps be more rational to have one single type of European application where a final designation for the European Community and/or for the EPC Contracting States would be required e.g. 24 months after filing • Accessibility through the PCT? Kim Finnilä

  9. UPLS & CPR • We, or more exactly you, have come very far and now it is time to succeed! • Chinese proverb: ”One who hesitates taking the next step for too long, will remain standing on one leg the rest of his life” • Kim’s proverb: ”It is not the next step that takes you forward, but the reason why you take it” • The reason: To achieve a complete European patent system; we need the second leg provided by the ULPS, and the CPR will most probably show to be a very good complement to the system!” Kim Finnilä

  10. Thank you very much for your kind attention! Kim Finnilä

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