UPC holds Administrative Committee meeting

https://www.epo.org/en/news-events/news/upc-holds-administrative-committee-meeting

UPC holds Administrative Committee meeting

02.03.2022

On 22 and 23 February, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) held its inaugural meetings of the Administrative and Budget Committees. Delegates from contracting member states joined the hybrid event in Luxembourg at the seat of the Court of Appeal and the Registry, with the EPO participating as observer. The inaugural meetings follow the UPC's Protocol on Provisional Application entering into force and establishing the UPC as an international organisation.

During the meeting, the Administrative Committee adopted several secondary Rules and Regulations which will be vital for the functioning of the UPC. These included its Rules of Procedure, Rules on the European Patent Litigation Certificate, Service Regulations for the UPC judges and its administrative staff, and Financial Regulations. The Budget Committee on the other hand adopted the budget for the period of provisional application of the UPC Agreement. The contracting member states also elected Alexander Ramsay (SE), current chair of the Preparatory Committee, as the Administrative Committee chair and Johannes Karcher (DE) as the deputy chair, as well as Bruno Leboullenger (FR) as chair and Theis Bødker Jensen (DK) as the deputy chair of the Budget Committee.

The new chairs and several delegations acknowledged the historical significance of these inaugural meetings and reiterated that the UPC project has now entered its final preparatory phase.

Following the events, the EPO President António Campinos expressed his optimism: "The EPO very much welcomes this step towards delivering the Unitary Patent Package. The Unitary Patent and UPC will be the most important reforms of the European patent system since the signing of the European Patent Convention."