Patent Litigation in Germany: Düsseldorf Doubles Appeal Capacity

In its quest for world domination, the Court of Appeals (Oberlandesgericht) Düsseldorf has doubled its dedicated patent litigation capacity. The court has established a second panel (Senat) that will exclusively deal with appeals in patent matters.

In total, Düsseldorf, the busiest patent litigation venue in Europe, now offers three dedicated patent panels (Zivilkammern) at first instance level and two at the appeal stage. Germany currently has a market share of 60% of European patent litigation and, to quote the New York Times, “Germany has become a destination for fast, effective one-stop patent challenges.” And the judiciary views this as a postion worth fighting for, and is ready to make additional resources available.

What still needs to be done is to demonstrate that Germany can deliver the same service in other commercial disputes as well. The English language initiative is a step into the right direction.

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


seven − = 3

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.