The launch of the Unified Patent Jurisdiction (JUB) received extensive media coverage; it is now fully operational.
What is the JUB?
It is the first supranational court competent in Europe to rule on disputes between private parties.
This new European jurisdiction linked to the European patent with unitary effect will undoubtedly provide better protection for patent applicants.
In particular, the JUB will make it possible to obtain, in the event of a dispute, an enforceable decision on all the States parties to the Agreement within a maximum period of one year.
The organization of the JUB
In the new European patent system, France occupies a significant position. As the second financial contributor to the JUB, France hosts the headquarters of the central division of the court of first instance in Paris, chaired by Mrs Florence Butin, a French magistrate. The Court of Appeal is, for its part, established in Luxembourg.
The 88 appointed judges were sworn in on June 1 at the Paris Court of Appeal.
Among them, judges with legal qualifications, but also technically specialized judges who will sit on cases requiring technical analysis, in particular patent invalidity actions.
The official languages of the JUB are French, English and German. In addition, all procedures are completely dematerialized.
Thanks to its status as the second country filing the most European patents, France should be one of the first beneficiaries of the new protection offered by the JUB.
Who can intervene before the JUB?
Only duly registered representatives are authorized to intervene before this new jurisdiction.
Three of the members of the ETNA Cabinet have been recognized for this capacity : Sophie DELAVEAU and Sebastien FACHE furthermore industrial property attorneys and EPO representative, and Jerome FERRANDO, attorney.
Our firm is therefore ready to represent its clients in all proceedings before the JUB.