Agreement on a Unified Patent Court

AGREEMENT on a Unified Patent Court (2013/C 175/01)

PART I - GENERAL AND INSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I - General provisions

• Article 1 - Unified Patent Court
• Article 2 - Definitions
• Article 3 - Scope of application
• Article 4 - Legal status
• Article 5 - Liability

CHAPTER II - Institutional provisions

• Article 6 - The Court
• Article 7 - The Court of First Instance
• Article 8 - Composition of the panels of the Court of First Instance
• Article 9 - The Court of Appeal
• Article 10 - The Registry
• Article 11 - Committees
• Article 12 - The Administrative Committee
• Article 13 - The Budget Committee
• Article 14 - The Advisory Committee

CHAPTER III - Judges of the Court

• Article 15 - Eligibility criteria for the appointment of judges
• Article 16 - Appointment procedure
• Article 17 - Judicial independence and impartiality
• Article 18 - Pool of Judges
• Article 19 - Training framework

CHAPTER IV - The primacy of Union law, liability and responsibility of the Contracting Member States

• Article 20 - Primacy of and respect for Union law
• Article 21 - Requests for preliminary rulings
• Article 22 - Liability for damage caused by infringements of Union law
• Article 23 - Responsibility of the Contracting Member States

CHAPTER V - Sources of law and substantive law

• Article 24 - Sources of law
• Article 25 - Right to prevent the direct use of the invention
• Article 26 - Right to prevent the indirect use of the invention
• Article 27 - Limitations of the effects of a patent
• Article 28 - Right based on prior use of the invention
• Article 29 - Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a European patent
• Article 30 - Effects of supplementary protection certificates

CHAPTER VI - International jurisdiction and competence

• Article 31 - International jurisdiction
• Article 32 - Competence of the Court
• Article 33 - Competence of the divisions of the Court of First Instance
• Article 34 - Territorial scope of decisions

CHAPTER VII - Patent mediation and arbitration

• Article 35 - Patent mediation and arbitration centre

PART II - FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

• Article 36 - Budget of the Court
• Article 37 - Financing of the Court
• Article 38 - Financing of the training framework for judges
• Article 39 - Financing of the Centre

PART III - ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I - General provisions

• Article 40 - Statute
• Article 41 - Rules of Procedure
• Article 42 - Proportionality and fairness
• Article 43 - Case management
• Article 44 - Electronic procedures
• Article 45 - Public proceedings
• Article 46 - Legal capacity
• Article 47 - Parties
• Article 48 - Representation

CHAPTER II - Language of proceedings

• Article 49 - Language of proceedings at the Court of First Instance
• Article 50 - Language of proceedings at the Court of Appeal
• Article 51 - Other language arrangements

CHAPTER III - Proceedings before the Court

• Article 52 - Written, interim and oral procedures
• Article 53 - Means of evidence
• Article 54 - Burden of proof
• Article 55 - Reversal of burden of proof

CHAPTER IV - Powers of the Court

• Article 56 - The general powers of the Court
• Article 57 - Court experts
• Article 58 - Protection of confidential information
• Article 59 - Order to produce evidence
• Article 60 - Order to preserve evidence and to inspect premises
• Article 61 - Freezing orders
• Article 62 - Provisional and protective measures
• Article 63 - Permanent injunctions
• Article 65 - Decision on the validity of a patent
• Article 66 - Powers of the Court concerning decisions of the European Patent Office
• Article 67 - Power to order the communication of information
• Article 68 - Award of damages
• Article 69 - Legal costs
• Article 70 - Court fees
• Article 71 - Legal aid
• Article 72 - Period of limitation

CHAPTER V - Appeals

• Article 73 - Appeal
• Article 74 - Effects of an appeal
• Article 75 - Decision on appeal and referral back

CHAPTER VI - Decisions

• Article 76 - Basis for decisions and right to be heard
• Article 77 - Formal requirements
• Article 78 - Decisions of the Court and dissenting opinions
• Article 79 - Settlement
• Article 80 - Publication of decisions
• Article 81 - Rehearing
• Article 82 - Enforcement of decisions and orders

PART IV - TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

• Article 83 - Transitional regime

PART V - FINAL PROVISIONS

• Article 84 - Signature, ratification and accession
• Article 85 - Functions of the depositary
• Article 86 - Duration of the Agreement
• Article 87 - Revision
• Article 88 - Languages of the Agreement
• Article 89 - Entry into force