03.05.21
German Decision on Unitary Patent/UPC Will Take Years (and It Doesn’t Matter Because the Whole Thing is Dead Already)
Summary: Kluwer Patent Blog’s Dr. Bausch explains why the UPC is pretty much doomed, as it cannot be ratified any time soon and probably will never be ratified either (for a multitude of reasons, including Brexit)
THIS afternoon we saw this article by Thorsten Bausch (Hoffmann Eitle), showing and explaining why the FCC (Germany’s constitutional court) won’t be deciding on the two constitutional complaints (against UPCA) any time soon.
“All they have left now is paid-for lies. Don’t listen to them.”We’ve decided to respond in a one-hour video, which includes a bit of background information. Dr. Bausch has long protested against EPO injustices and UPC lies. And just like us, he predicted it wouldn’t get started. He now says (and includes a screenshot that shows) “the FCC has just published its annual overview, i.e. a list of proceedings that it intends to decide in the course of 2021. It traditionally publishes this list in February of each year, and equally traditionally it is incapable of deciding even half of these cases by end of the same year. This has led to the unofficial name of this list, i.e. “Lügenliste” (Liar’s List), which may be a bit harsh, but sometimes jokes are like this. Nonetheless, while the list is not necessarily indicative of the cases that will be decided in the year to come, it is of value for the cases that will not be decided, i.e. those cases that we know have been filed but do not (yet) appear on this list. For example, the two constitutional appeals on the *new* UPCA ratification law. Thus, if I may dare making any recommendation to the stakeholders and judges that have been preparing for the imminent enactment of the UPCA for years, it is: relax and look to other plans for the near to mid-term future. While I have already won my unofficial bet that the new Berlin airport will open before the UPCA will enter into force, my second bet that UPCA will come before Stuttgart 21 (currently predicted for 2026) is still running, and it is possible that I will lose this one. This will not be over any time soon, all the more so since the Case Load of the responsible 3rd Department of the FCC, even to the extent shown on the list, is pretty crazy: A constitutional complaint against the marketing approval of a generic veterinary medicament, two disputes in regard to the government’s obligations to inform the Bundestag about its plans to act against human traffickers in the mediterranean, a dispute in regard to a state law of Bremen prohibiting the turnover of nuclear fuels in its ports, various constitutional complaints against CETA, another constitutional complaint against a decision of the FCJ and CJEU declaring an arbitration clause in an investment protection agreement between Slovakia and the Netherlands inapplicable under EU Law, several referrals of courts and the Parliament in regard to the “Mietendeckel” of Berlin (rent cap) – and five more constitutional complaints, of which at least four have appeared on the “annual overview” for years.
In short, don’t expect the UPC to have any news associated with it. Bristows’ UPC blog has been inactive for months, it’s composed by individuals who work for Europe’s most notorious patent trolls, and there’s virtually no press coverage on the matter. Well, there’s nothing to report. This morning we saw Bristows spreading some more UPC lies in a paid placement. All they have left now is paid-for lies. Don’t listen to them. █
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