The Unified Patent Court was just six months old at the start of the year and our twin-track campaigns to promote UK patent attorneys’ work at the UPC and to encourage our members to register as representatives were in full swing.
Both were priorities of President Matt Dixon, whose UPC Task Force produced a document outlining seven reasons why UK patent attorneys would be at the forefront of UPC litigation work. These messages were shared with stakeholders and international partners in 2023 and were refreshed at the start of 2024.
In May, with international conference season approaching, we produced a handy UPC messages pack with information that travelling attorneys might like to have to hand to promote the role of UK patent attorneys before the UPC. The pack included a brief explainer on the role of the UPC, Matt’s “Seven Reasons”, and an update on UK firms’ involvement at the UPC.
We celebrated the approach of the first anniversary of the opening of the court with a UPC Happy Hour in London, for members, on 14 May.
The drive to register as many UK representatives as possible under the grandfather clause was an unqualified success, with around 2,000 UK-based patent attorneys on the register by the deadline of 1 June – the second-largest national contingent behind Germany.
Throughout the year Matt and CIPA staff assiduously promoted the activities of UK firms with representatives before the court on social media. By December, the success of UK litigation work at the court was being recognised and celebrated with awards in the trade media.
In September the UPC Task Force held its final meeting and in December Council agreeing to the formation of a UPC Committee, to be chaired by Council member and UPC Representative Rob Jackson.
We continued to support Duncan Matthews, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary University of London, to develop a European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC) course.
Prof Willem Hoyng
Chair, UPC Advisory Committee
“In my 50 years of experience as a patent litigator I had the pleasure to work with members of CIPA many times. All these experiences have been very positive. It is very clear to me that, through its programs, CIPA ensures that its members belong at the top of the patent attorney profession in Europe.
“The UK was an important participant in the huge amount of preparatory work that was done to establish the UPC. So it was a great disappointment that, at the last moment, the UK decided not to participate. However, I have been pleasantly surprised to see that CIPA, on the contrary, shows a very positive attitude towards the court, encouraging and facilitating its members to become UPC representatives.
“Your very successful annual conference this year on the UPC confirmed CIPA’s commitment to the UPC. The program was excellent and it was clear that your members showed a firm interest in the UPC and want to play an active role in its success. It was a pleasure to be invited to participate.”