Tempus fugit. It’s hard to believe that the UPC opened for business over two years ago and, after a relatively slow start, is now flourishing. It would be fair to say that, with certain notable exceptions, life sciences companies have not engaged with the UPC as enthusiastically as other sectors to date. Therefore certain issues…
On May 27, 2025, the Intellectual Property High Court of Japan ruled in favor of Toray Industries, Inc. in a landmark patent infringement lawsuit (Case No. 2021 (Ne) 10037) concerning the extended patent rights for the antipruritic agent “Remitch®” (nalfurafine). The court ordered two generic companies, Sawai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.,…
One of the most highly debated issues at the UPC before its commencement was the question, how the UPC would deal with validity of patents – would it essentially take over the EPO’s course? Or would it deviate from that? From the first judgments, many commentators drew the conclusion that at least when it comes…
Yesterday, I shared some early figures from the UPC Court of Appeal, offering a glimpse into how the Court operates two years after its launch. But those reflections lingered long after I closed my laptop. They kept me up — long enough to return to a thornier, more theoretical question that has remained unresolved since…
Introduction: A Concert Interrupted Imagine a Rammstein concert—tight rhythms, explosive precision, and overwhelming power. That’s what many expected from the German divisions of the UPC: efficiency, control, and dominance. But two years into the life of the Court of Appeal, that expectation has begun to unravel. What we see instead is a more nuanced performance—less…
Decisions in patent ownership disputes are rare in Spain. The last significant one was the 2022 judgment from the Spanish Supreme Court in the “Ecoforest” case. Now, the Valencia Court of Appeal – a growing forum for patent disputes – rules that the two-year statute of limitations for filing patent ownership claims cannot be interrupted….
Brazil’s long-running effort to internalize drug manufacture through state-backed technology transfer agreements continues to face scrutiny. On May 7, 2025, the country’s Government Accountability Office (GAO) upheld its prior recommendation that the Ministry of Health (MOH) refrain from initiating new Partnerships for Productive Development (Parcerias para o Desenvolvimento Produtivo – PDPs) until it can demonstrate…
The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (BRPTO) published Ordinance No. 04/2025 (May 27, 2025), which formalizes the internal workflow for resuming the technical examination of patent applications following an appeal against a previous rejection decision (identified by publication code 100.2). The ordinance consolidates and standardizes the procedures to be followed when the BRPTO’s Board of…
On 14 May, the EPO published the study Standards and the European patent system. The study seeks to improve transparency in the relationship between standards and patents in Europe, by providing insights from an EPO dataset linking patents and standards. The study also provides early observations into SEP litigation under the UPC. I will very…
As spring turns to summer and the days grow longer across EPC Member States (and, in some cases, banish darkness entirely with the midnight sun!), many of us in the IP community eagerly await the release of the new Visser, now in its 33rd iteration! As always, this version includes numerous updates reflecting changes in…
