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ARTICLE · 19 JULY 2022

How Does The Unified Patent Court Work?

Gowling WLG
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The Court of Justice of the European Union will be able to hear referrals on interpretation of law made by either the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal. Its decisions will be binding on the UPC.

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Gordon Harris
Gordon Harris
Alex Driver
Alex Driver
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The UPC will consist of:

  • a Court of First Instance (including local, regional and central divisions); and
  • a Court of Appeal (based in Luxembourg).

The Court of Justice of the European Union will be able to hear referrals on interpretation of law made by either the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal. Its decisions will be binding on the UPC.

The following figure shows the expected structure of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal, and the judicial make-up of each. The list of local/regional divisions below are those which have been confirmed by the UPC. It is expected that there will be more local/regional divisions to be officially confirmed in due course.

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