The Unified Patent Court etc. Act (Act No. 551 of June 2, 2014), Denmark, WIPO Lex

Main text(s)

English The Unified Patent Court etc. Act (Act No. 551 of June 2, 2014)

Danish Lov om en fælles patentdomstol m.v. (LOV nr 551 af 02/06/2014)

Download PDF open_in_new

Lov om en fælles patentdomstol m.v. (Lov nr 551 af 02/06/2014)

LOV nr 551 af 02/06/2014

Ministerium: Erhvervsministeriet Journalnummer: Erhvervs- og Vækstmin.,

Patent- og Varemærkestyrelsen, j.nr. 12/379

Senere ændringer til forskriften LBK nr 1308 af 09/12/2014 LBK nr 90 af 29/01/2019 LBK nr 91 af 29/01/2019

Lov om en fælles patentdomstol m.v.

VI MARGRETHE DEN ANDEN, af Guds Nåde Danmarks Dronning, gør vitterligt:

Folketinget har vedtaget og Vi ved Vort samtykke stadfæstet følgende lov:

§ 1. Aftale af 19. februar 2013 om en fælles patentdomstol, jf. bilag 1 til denne lov, gælder her i landet. Stk. 2. Erhvervs- og vækstministeren kan efter forhandling med justitsministeren bestemme, at bestem‐

melser fastsat i henhold til aftalen om en fælles patentdomstol skal gælde her i landet. Stk. 3. Beføjelser, som efter grundloven tilkommer rigets myndigheder, kan, i det omfang det er fastsat i

aftalen om en fælles patentdomstol, udøves af de institutioner, der er nævnt i denne aftale.

§ 2. Anmodning om, at et forlig, en afgørelse eller en kendelse, som er omfattet af aftalen, skal fuldbyr‐ des, indgives til fogedretten. Anmodningen skal være skriftlig.

Stk. 2. Fuldbyrdelse af et forlig, en afgørelse eller en kendelse omfattet af aftalen sker efter retsplejelo‐ vens regler.

Stk. 3. Hvis en part ikke overholder betingelserne i en kendelse afsagt af den fælles patentdomstol, kan fogedretten pålægge parten tvangsbøder, der skal betales til den fælles patentdomstol. Den enkelte bøde skal stå i rimeligt forhold til betydningen af den kendelse, der skal fuldbyrdes, og indskrænker ikke den pågældende parts ret til at kræve erstatning eller sikkerhedsstillelse.

§ 3. Erhvervs- og vækstministeren fastsætter tidspunktet for lovens ikrafttræden. Stk. 2. Sager, som på tidspunktet for lovens ikrafttræden er under behandling af en dansk domstol, fær‐

digbehandles af vedkommende danske domstol. Stk. 3. Retsplejelovens § 225 a, stk. 2, som affattet ved denne lovs § 4, nr. 2, har virkning i 7 år fra

ikrafttræden af aftalen. Stk. 4. Erhvervs- og vækstministeren kan efter forhandling med justitsministeren forlænge perioden

nævnt i stk. 3 med op til 7 år.

§ 4. I retsplejeloven, jf. lovbekendtgørelse nr. 1139 af 24. september 2013, som ændret senest ved § 1 i lov nr. 84 af 28. januar 2014, foretages følgende ændringer:

1. I § 225, stk. 2, indsættes efter »Sø- og Handelsretten«: », jf. dog § 225 a«.

2. Efter § 225 indsættes: »§ 225 a. Retssager, der er omfattet af aftale af 19. februar 2013 om en fælles patentdomstol, anlægges

ved den fælles patentdomstol. Stk. 2. Uanset stk. 1 kan retssager om krænkelse eller ugyldighed af et europæisk patent eller retssager

om krænkelse eller ugyldighed af et supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat udstedt for et produkt, der er be‐ skyttet af et europæisk patent, anlægges ved en dansk domstol efter reglerne i denne lov.«

3. I § 254 a, stk. 2, indsættes efter »omhandlede sager«: »eller for sager, der efter § 225 a, stk. 1, anlægges ved den fælles patentdomstol«.

4. I § 411 indsættes som stk. 5: »Stk. 5. Reglerne i dette kapitel finder ikke anvendelse på sager, der efter § 225 a, stk. 1, anlægges ved

den fælles patentdomstol.«

§ 5. I patentloven, jf. lovbekendtgørelse nr. 108 af 24. januar 2012, som ændret ved § 29 i lov nr. 639 af 12. juni 2013, foretages følgende ændringer:

1. I § 23, stk. 2, og § 53 b, stk. 5, 1. pkt., ændres »§§ 51, 54 eller 96« til: »§§ 51 eller 54«.

2. Efter § 50 indsættes i kapitel 6: »§ 50 a. §§ 45-50 finder tilsvarende anvendelse på europæiske patenter med ensartet retsvirkning i hen‐

hold til Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning nr. 1257/2012 af 17. december 2012 om gennemførel‐ se af et forstærket samarbejde om indførelse af enhedspatentbeskyttelse.«

3. I § 57, stk. 1, indsættes som 2. pkt.: »Dette gælder også indgreb i patentrettigheder, som er stiftet i henhold til Europa-Parlamentets og Rå‐

dets forordning nr. 1257/2012 af 17. december 2012 om gennemførelse af et forstærket samarbejde om indførelse af enhedspatentbeskyttelse.«

4. I § 67, stk. 1, 1. pkt., ændres »§§ 44, 53 d, 53 e, 72, stk. 1 og 2, 73 samt 96« til: »§§ 44, 53 d og 53 e, § 72, stk. 1 og 2, og § 73«, og »eller patentets ophør« udgår.

5. I § 77 indsættes som stk. 5: »Stk. 5. Et europæisk patent anses ikke for at have fået retsvirkning som et nationalt patent her i landet,

når den ensartede retsvirkning af det pågældende patent er blevet registreret.«

6. I § 104 indsættes som stk. 4: »Stk. 4. Gebyrer indbetalt i henhold til § 98, stk. 7, tilbagebetales i tilfælde, hvor et europæisk patent i

henhold til § 77, stk. 5, ikke anses for at have fået retsvirkning som et nationalt patent her i landet.«

§ 6. I lov om brugsmodeller, jf. lovbekendtgørelse nr. 106 af 24. januar 2012, som ændret ved § 24 i lov nr. 639 af 12. juni 2013, foretages følgende ændring:

1. §§ 72 og 73 ophæves. § 7. I lov nr. 1057 af 23. december 1992 om ændring af patentloven (Ratifikation af aftale om EF-pa‐

tenter m.v.) foretages følgende ændringer:

1. § 1, nr. 34, § 2, stk. 2, og § 4, stk. 2, ophæves.

2. I § 2, stk. 1, udgår », jf. dog stk. 2«. § 8. Loven gælder ikke for Færøerne og Grønland, jf. dog stk. 2.

Stk. 2. Lovens § 6 kan ved kongelig anordning sættes helt eller delvis i kraft for Færøerne og Grønland med de ændringer, som de færøske og grønlandske forhold tilsiger.

Givet på Amalienborg, den 2. juni 2014

Under Vor Kongelige Hånd og Segl

MARGRETHE R.

/ Henrik Sass Larsen

Bilag 1

Oversættelse

AGREEMENT AFTALE

on a Unified Patent Court om en fælles patentdomstol

THE CONTRACTING MEMBER STATES, DE KONTRAHERENDE MEDLEMSSTATER,

CONSIDERING that cooperation amongst the Member States of the European Union in the field of patents contributes significantly to the integra‐ tion process in Europe, in particular to the esta‐ blishment of an internal market within the Euro‐ pean Union characterised by the free movement of goods and services and the creation of a system en‐ suring that competition in the internal market is not distorted;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at samarbejde mellem Den Europæiske Unions medlemsstater på patentområdet bidrager væsentligt til integrations‐ processen i Europa, navnlig til oprettelsen af et in‐ dre marked inden for Den Europæiske Union ken‐ detegnet ved fri bevægelighed for varer og tjene‐ steydelser og indførelsen af et system, der sikrer, at konkurrencen i det indre marked ikke forvrides,

CONSIDERING that the fragmented market for pa‐ tents and the significant variations between national court systems are detrimental for innovation, in par‐ ticular for small and medium-sized enterprises which have difficulties to enforce their patents and to defend themselves against unfounded claims and claims relating to patents which should be revoked;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at det fragmen‐ terede marked for patenter og de væsentlige for‐ skelle mellem de nationale retssystemer er til skade for innovationen, navnlig for små og mel‐ lemstore virksomheder, der har vanskeligt ved at håndhæve deres patenter og forsvare sig mod ube‐ grundede krav og krav vedrørende patenter, der bør kendes ugyldige,

CONSIDERING that the European Patent Conven‐ tion (EPC) which has been ratified by all Member States of the European Union provides for a single procedure for granting European patents by the European Patent Office;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at den europæ‐ iske patentkonvention (EPK), som alle Den Euro‐ pæiske Unions medlemsstater har ratificeret, inde‐ holder bestemmelser om én enkelt procedure for Den Europæiske Patentmyndigheds meddelelse af europæiske patenter,

CONSIDERING that by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1257/20121), patent proprietors can request uni‐ tary effect of their European patents so as to obtain unitary patent protection in the Member States of the European Union participating in the enhanced cooperation;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at patenthavere i henhold til forordning (EU) nr. 1257/20121) kan anmode om, at deres europæiske patenter får ens‐ artet retsvirkning for at opnå enhedspatentbeskyt‐ telse i de af Den Europæiske Unions medlemssta‐ ter, der deltager i det forstærkede samarbejde,

WISHING to improve the enforcement of patents and the defence against unfounded claims and pa‐ tents which should be revoked and to enhance legal

SOM ØNSKER at forbedre håndhævelsen af pa‐ tenter og forsvaret mod ubegrundede krav og pa‐ tenter, der bør kendes ugyldige, og at øge retssik‐

certainty by setting up a Unified Patent Court for li‐ tigation relating to the infringement and validity of patents;

kerheden ved at oprette en fælles patentdomstol til retstvister om krænkelse og gyldighed af patenter,

CONSIDERING that the Unified Patent Court sho‐ uld be devised to ensure expeditious and high quali‐ ty decisions, striking a fair balance between the in‐ terests of right holders and other parties and taking into account the need for proportionality and flexi‐ bility;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at den fælles patentdomstol bør indrettes med henblik på at sik‐ re hurtige afgørelser af høj kvalitet, hvorved der opnås en retfærdig balance mellem rettighedsha‐ vernes og andre parters interesser og tages hensyn til nødvendigheden af proportionalitet og fleksibi‐ litet,

CONSIDERING that the Unified Patent Court sho‐ uld be a court common to the Contracting Member States and thus part of their judicial system, with exclusive competence in respect of European pa‐ tents with unitary effect and European patents gran‐ ted under the provisions of the EPC;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at den fælles patentdomstol bør være en domstol, der er fælles for de kontraherende medlemsstater og dermed en del af deres retssystem, med enekompetence med hensyn til europæiske patenter med ensartet rets‐ virkning og europæiske patenter, der meddeles i henhold til bestemmelserne i EPK,

CONSIDERING that the Court of Justice of the European Union is to ensure the uniformity of the Union legal order and the primacy of European Union law;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at Den Europæ‐ iske Unions Domstol skal sikre ensartetheden i Unionens retsorden og EU-rettens forrang,

RECALLING the obligations of the Contracting Member States under the Treaty on European Uni‐ on (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), including the obligation of sincere cooperation as set out in Article 4(3) TEU and the obligation to ensure through the Uni‐ fied Patent Court the full application of, and respect for, Union law in their respective territories and the judicial protection of an individual᾽s rights under that law;

SOM ERINDRER OM de kontraherende med‐ lemsstaters forpligtelser i henhold til traktaten om Den Europæiske Union (TEU) og traktaten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde (TEUF), herunder forpligtelsen til loyalt samarbejde som fastsat i artikel 4, stk. 3, i TEU og forpligtelsen til gennem den fælles patentdomstol at sikre den ful‐ de anvendelse af og respekt for EU-retten på deres respektive områder og retsbeskyttelsen af borger‐ nes rettigheder i henhold til EU-retten,

CONSIDERING that, as any national court, the Unified Patent Court must respect and apply Union law and, in collaboration with the Court of Justice of the European Union as guardian of Union law, ensure its correct application and uniform interpre‐ tation; the Unified Patent Court must in particular cooperate with the Court of Justice of the European Union in properly interpreting Union law by rely‐ ing on the latter᾽s case law and by requesting preli‐ minary rulings in accordance with Article 267 TFEU;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at den fælles patentdomstol, som enhver national domstol, skal overholde og anvende EU-retten og i samarbejde med Den Europæiske Unions Domstol som vogter af EU-retten sikre en korrekt anvendelse og ensar‐ tet fortolkning heraf; den fælles patentdomstol skal navnlig samarbejde med Den Europæiske Unions Domstol om den korrekte fortolkning af EU-retten ved at støtte sig på sidstnævntes retspraksis og ved at anmode om præjudicielle afgørelser i overens‐ stemmelse med artikel 267 i TEUF,

CONSIDERING that the Contracting Member Sta‐ tes should, in line with the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union on non-contractual liability, be liable for damages caused by infringe‐ ments of Union law by the Unified Patent Court, in‐ cluding the failure to request preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Union;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at de kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstater i overensstemmelse med Den Europæiske Unions Domstols retspraksis vedrø‐ rende ansvar uden for kontraktforhold bør være ansvarlige for skader som følge af den fælles pa‐ tentdomstols overtrædelser af EU-retten, herunder undladelse af at anmode Den Europæiske Unions Domstol om præjudicielle afgørelser,

CONSIDERING that infringements of Union law by the Unified Patent Court, including the failure to request preliminary rulings from the Court of Justi‐ ce of the European Union, are directly attributable to the Contracting Member States and infringement proceedings can therefore be brought under Article 258, 259 and 260 TFEU against any Contracting Member State to ensure the respect of the primacy and proper application of Union law;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at den fælles patentdomstols overtrædelser af EU-retten, herun‐ der undladelse af at anmode Den Europæiske Uni‐ ons Domstol om præjudicielle afgørelser, kan hen‐ føres direkte til de kontraherende medlemsstater, og at der derfor kan anlægges traktatbrudssøgsmål i henhold til artikel 258, 259 og 260 i TEUF mod enhver kontraherende medlemsstat med henblik på at sikre overholdelsen og den korrekte anvendelse af EU-retten samt dennes forrang,

RECALLING the primacy of Union law, which in‐ cludes the TEU, the TFEU, the Charter of Funda‐ mental Rights of the European Union, the general principles of Union law as developed by the Court of Justice of the European Union, and in particular the right to an effective remedy before a tribunal and a fair and public hearing within a reasonable ti‐ me by an independent and impartial tribunal, the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and secondary Union law;

SOM ERINDRER OM EU-rettens forrang, herun‐ der TEU, TEUF, Den Europæiske Unions charter om grundlæggende rettigheder, EU-rettens almin‐ delige grundsætninger som udviklet af Den Euro‐ pæiske Unions Domstol og navnlig adgangen til effektive retsmidler for en domstol og retten til en retfærdig og offentlig rettergang inden en rimelig frist for en uafhængig og upartisk domstol, Den Europæiske Unions Domstols retspraksis og afledt EU-ret,

CONSIDERING that this Agreement should be open to accession by any Member State of the European Union; Member States which have deci‐ ded not to participate in the enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protecti‐ on may participate in this Agreement in respect of European patents granted for their respective terri‐ tory;

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at denne aftale bør kunne tiltrædes af enhver af Den Europæiske Unions medlemsstater; medlemsstater, som har be‐ sluttet ikke at deltage i det forstærkede samarbejde om indførelse af enhedspatentbeskyttelse, kan del‐ tage i denne aftale for så vidt angår europæiske pa‐ tenter, der meddeles for deres respektive område,

SOM TAGER I BETRAGTNING, at denne aftale bør træde i kraft den 1. januar 2014 eller den første dag i den fjerde måned efter den 13. deponering, forudsat at de kontraherende medlemsstater, der har deponeret deres ratifikations- eller tiltrædelses‐ instrumenter, omfatter de tre stater, hvor det største

number of European patents was in force in the ye‐ ar preceding the year in which the signature of the Agreement takes place, or on the first day of the fourth month after the date of entry into force of the amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1215/20122) concerning its relationship with this Agreement, whichever is the latest,

antal europæiske patenter er i kraft i det år, der går forud for det år, hvor undertegnelsen af aftalen fin‐ der sted, eller den første dag i den fjerde måned ef‐ ter ikrafttrædelsesdatoen for ændringerne til for‐ ordning (EU) nr. 1215/20122) om dens forbindelse med denne aftale, idet den seneste dato er gælden‐ de,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: ER BLEVET ENIGE OM FØLGENDE:

PART I DEL I

GENERAL AND INSTITUTIONAL PROVISI‐ ONS

ALMINDELIGE OG INSTITUTIONELLE BESTEMMELSER

CHAPTER I KAPITEL I

General provisions Almindelige bestemmelser

Article 1 Artikel 1

Unified Patent Court Den fælles patentdomstol

A Unified Patent Court for the settlement of dis‐ putes relating to European patents and European patents with unitary effect is hereby established.

Der oprettes hermed en fælles patentdomstol til bilæggelse af tvister vedrørende europæiske pa‐ tenter og europæiske patenter med ensartet rets‐ virkning.

The Unified Patent Court shall be a court com‐ mon to the Contracting Member States and thus subject to the same obligations under Union law as any national court of the Contracting Member Sta‐ tes.

Den fælles patentdomstol er en domstol, der er fælles for de kontraherende medlemsstater og der‐ med underlagt de samme forpligtelser i henhold til EU-retten som enhver af de kontraherende med‐ lemsstaters nationale domstole.

Article 2 Artikel 2

Definitions Definitioner

For the purposes of this Agreement: I denne aftale forstås ved: a) »Court« means the Unified Patent Court crea‐

ted by this Agreement. a) »domstol« : den fælles patentdomstol, der er

oprettet ved denne aftale b) »Member State« means a Member State of the

European Union. b) »medlemsstat« : en medlemsstat i Den Euro‐

pæiske Union c) »Contracting Member State« means a Member

State party to this Agreement. c) »kontraherende medlemsstat« : en medlems‐

stat, der er part i denne aftale d) »EPC« means the Convention on the Grant of

European Patents of 5 October 1973, including any subsequent amendments.

d) »EPK« : konventionen om meddelelse af euro‐ pæiske patenter af 5. oktober 1973 med senere ændringer

e) »European patent« means a patent granted under the provisions of the EPC, which does not benefit from unitary effect by virtue of Re‐ gulation (EU) No 1257/2012.

e) »europæisk patent« : et patent meddelt i hen‐ hold til bestemmelserne i EPK, som ikke har ensartet retsvirkning i medfør af forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012

f) »European patent with unitary effect« means a patent granted under the provisions of the EPC which benefits from unitary effect by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012.

f) »europæisk patent med ensartet retsvirkning« : et patent meddelt i henhold til bestemmelserne i EPK, som har ensartet retsvirkning i medfør af forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012

g) »Patent« means a European patent and/or a European patent with unitary effect.

g) »patent« : et europæisk patent og/eller et euro‐ pæisk patent med ensartet retsvirkning

h) »Supplementary protection certificate« means a supplementary protection certificate granted under Regulation (EC) No 469/20093) or under Regulation (EC) No 1610/964).

h) »supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat« : et sup‐ plerende beskyttelsescertifikat udstedt i hen‐ hold til forordning (EF) nr. 469/20093) eller forordning (EF) nr. 1610/964)

i) »Statute« means the Statute of the Court as set out in Annex I, which shall be an integral part of this Agreement.

i) »statut« : statutten for domstolen, jf. bilag I, som er en integrerende del af denne aftale

j) »Rules of Procedure« means the Rules of Pro‐ cedure of the Court, as established in accordan‐ ce with Article 41.

j) »procesreglement« : domstolens procesregle‐ ment som fastsat i henhold til artikel 41.

Article 3 Artikel 3

Scope of application Anvendelsesområde

This Agreement shall apply to any: Denne aftale finder anvendelse på: a) European patent with unitary effect; a) ethvert europæisk patent med ensartet retsvirk‐

ning b) supplementary protection certificate issued for

a product protected by a patent; b) ethvert supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat ud‐

stedt for et produkt, der er beskyttet af et pa‐ tent

c) European patent which has not yet lapsed at the date of entry into force of this Agreement or was granted after that date, without prejudice to Article 83; and

c) ethvert europæisk patent, som endnu ikke er ophørt på datoen for denne aftales ikrafttræden eller er meddelt efter denne dato, jf. dog arti‐ kel 83, og

d) European patent application which is pending at the date of entry into force of this Agreement or which is filed after that date, without preju‐ dice to Article 83.

d) enhver europæisk patentansøgning, som er under behandling på datoen for denne aftales ikrafttræden eller er indleveret efter denne da‐ to, jf. dog artikel 83.

Article 4 Artikel 4

Legal status Retlig status

1. The Court shall have legal personality in each Contracting Member State and shall enjoy the most

1. Domstolen har status som juridisk person i hver kontraherende medlemsstat og har den mest

extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under the national law of that State.

vidtgående rets- og handleevne, som denne stats nationale ret tillægger juridiske personer.

2. The Court shall be represented by the President of the Court of Appeal who shall be elected in ac‐ cordance with the Statute.

2. Domstolen repræsenteres af Appeldomstolens præsident, der vælges i overensstemmelse med sta‐ tutten.

Article 5 Artikel 5

Liability Ansvar

1. The contractual liability of the Court shall be governed by the law applicable to the contract in question in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 593/20085) (Rome I), where applicable, or failing that in accordance with the law of the Member Sta‐ te of the court seized.

1. Domstolens ansvar i kontraktforhold bestem‐ mes af den lovgivning, der finder anvendelse på den pågældende kontrakt i overensstemmelse med forordning (EF) nr. 593/20085) (Rom I), hvor dette er relevant, eller, hvor dette ikke er tilfældet, i overensstemmelse med lovgivningen i den med‐ lemsstat, hvor den ret, hvor sagen er indbragt, er beliggende.

2. The non-contractual liability of the Court in re‐ spect of any damage caused by it or its staff in the performance of their duties, to the extent that it is not a civil and commercial matter within the mea‐ ning of Regulation (EC) No 864/20076) (Rome II), shall be governed by the law of the Contracting Member State in which the damage occurred. This provision is without prejudice to the application of Article 22.

2. Domstolens ansvar uden for kontrakt for ska‐ der forvoldt af domstolen eller dens personale under udøvelsen af deres hverv bestemmes i det omfang, det ikke er omfattet af det civil- og han‐ delsretlige område, jf. forordning (EF) nr. 864/20076) (Rom II-forordningen), af lovgivningen i den kontraherende medlemsstat, hvor skaden op‐ stod. Denne bestemmelse berører ikke anvendelsen af artikel 22.

3. The court with jurisdiction to settle disputes under paragraph 2 shall be a court of the Contrac‐ ting Member State in which the damage occurred.

3. Den domstol, der har kompetence til at afgøre tvister i henhold til stk. 2, skal være en domstol i den kontraherende medlemsstat, hvor skaden op‐ stod.

CHAPTER II KAPITEL II

Institutional provisions Institutionelle bestemmelser

Article 6 Artikel 6

The Court Domstolen

1. The Court shall comprise a Court of First In‐ stance, a Court of Appeal and a Registry.

1. Domstolen skal bestå af en førsteinstansdom‐ stol, en appeldomstol og et registreringskontor.

2. The Court shall perform the functions assigned to it by this Agreement.

2. Domstolen udfører de funktioner, der tillægges den ved denne aftale.

Article 7 Artikel 7

The Court of First Instance Førsteinstansdomstolen

1. The Court of First Instance shall comprise a central division as well as local and regional divisi‐ ons.

1. Førsteinstansdomstolen skal bestå af en cen‐ tral afdeling samt lokale og regionale afdelinger.

2. The central division shall have its seat in Paris, with sections in London and Munich. The cases be‐ fore the central division shall be distributed in ac‐ cordance with Annex II, which shall form an inte‐ gral part of this Agreement.

2. Den centrale afdeling har sit hjemsted i Paris og underafdelinger i London og München. Sagerne ved den centrale afdeling fordeles i overensstem‐ melse med bilag II, som udgør en integrerende del af denne aftale.

3. A local division shall be set up in a Contracting Member State upon its request in accordance with the Statute. A Contracting Member State hosting a local division shall designate its seat.

3. Der oprettes en lokal afdeling i en kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstat efter anmodning fra denne i overensstemmelse med statutten. En kontraheren‐ de medlemsstat, der har en lokal afdeling, udpeger dennes hjemsted.

4. An additional local division shall be set up in a Contracting Member State upon its request for eve‐ ry one hundred patent cases per calendar year that have been commenced in that Contracting Member State during three successive years prior to or sub‐ sequent to the date of entry into force of this Agree‐ ment. The number of local divisions in one Con‐ tracting Member State shall not exceed four.

4. Der oprettes yderligere en lokal afdeling i en kontraherende medlemsstat efter anmodning fra denne for hver et hundrede patentsager pr. kalen‐ derår, som er påbegyndt i den pågældende kontra‐ herende medlemsstat i tre på hinanden følgende år forud for eller efter datoen for denne aftales ikraft‐ træden. Der kan højst være fire lokale afdelinger i en kontraherende medlemsstat.

5. A regional division shall be set up for two or more Contracting Member States, upon their re‐ quest in accordance with the Statute. Such Contrac‐ ting Member States shall designate the seat of the division concerned. The regional division may hear cases in multiple locations.

5. Der oprettes en regional afdeling for to eller flere kontraherende medlemsstater efter anmod‐ ning fra disse i overensstemmelse med statutten. Disse kontraherende medlemsstater udpeger hjem‐ stedet for den pågældende afdeling. Den regionale afdeling kan behandle sager på flere forskellige lo‐ kaliteter.

Article 8 Artikel 8

Composition of the panels of the Court of First Instance

Sammensætningen af Førsteinstansdomstolens paneler

1. Any panel of the Court of First Instance shall have a multinational composition. Without prejudi‐

1. Hvert panel i Førsteinstansdomstolen skal ha‐ ve en multinational sammensætning. De består af

ce to paragraph 5 of this Article and to Article 33(3)(a), it shall sit in a composition of three jud‐ ges.

tre dommere, jf. dog stk. 5 i denne artikel og arti‐ kel 33, stk. 3, litra a).

2. Any panel of a local division in a Contracting Member State where, during a period of three suc‐ cessive years prior or subsequent to the entry into force of this Agreement, less than fifty patent cases per calendar year on average have been commen‐ ced shall sit in a composition of one legally quali‐ fied judge who is a national of the Contracting Member State hosting the local division concerned and two legally qualified judges who are not natio‐ nals of the Contracting Member State concerned and are allocated from the Pool of Judges in accor‐ dance with Article 18(3) on a case by case basis.

2. Hvert panel i en lokal afdeling i en kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstat, hvor der i en periode på tre på hinanden følgende år forud for eller efter denne af‐ tales ikrafttræden i gennemsnit er påbegyndt min‐ dre end halvtreds patentsager pr. kalenderår, består af en juridisk dommer, der er statsborger i den kontraherende medlemsstat, på hvis område den lokale afdeling er beliggende, og to juridiske dom‐ mere, der ikke er statsborgere i den pågældende kontraherende medlemsstat, og som allokeres fra dommerpuljen i overensstemmelse med artikel 18, stk. 3, fra sag til sag.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, any panel of a local division in a Contracting Member State whe‐ re, during a period of three successive years prior or subsequent to the entry into force of this Agree‐ ment, fifty or more patent cases per calendar year on average have been commenced, shall sit in a composition of two legally qualified judges who are nationals of the Contracting Member State ho‐ sting the local division concerned and one legally qualified judge who is not a national of the Con‐ tracting Member State concerned and is allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3). Such third judge shall serve at the local divi‐ sion on a long term basis, where this is necessary for the efficient functioning of divisions with a high work load.

3. Uanset stk. 2 består hvert panel i en lokal af‐ deling i en kontraherende medlemsstat, hvor der i en periode på tre på hinanden følgende år forud for eller efter denne aftales ikrafttræden i gennemsnit er påbegyndt halvtreds patentsager eller derover pr. kalenderår, af to juridiske dommere, der er statsborgere i den kontraherende medlemsstat, på hvis område den lokale afdeling er beliggende, og en juridisk dommer, der ikke er statsborger i den pågældende kontraherende medlemsstat, og som er allokeret fra dommerpuljen i overensstemmelse med artikel 18, stk. 3. Denne tredje dommer sidder i den lokale afdeling på langtidsbasis, hvis dette er nødvendigt af hensyn til, at afdelinger med en stor arbejdsbyrde kan fungere effektivt.

4. Any panel of a regional division shall sit in a composition of two legally qualified judges chosen from a regional list of judges, who shall be natio‐ nals of the Contracting Member States concerned, and one legally qualified judge who shall not be a national of the Contracting Member States concer‐ ned and who shall be allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3).

4. Hvert panel i en regional afdeling består af to juridiske dommere valgt fra en regional liste over dommere, der er statsborgere i de pågældende kon‐ traherende medlemsstater, og en juridisk dommer, der ikke er statsborger i de pågældende kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstater, og som allokeres fra dom‐ merpuljen i overensstemmelse med artikel 18, stk. 3.

5. På en af parternes anmodning skal et panel i en lokal eller regional afdeling anmode Førstein‐ stansdomstolens præsident om at allokere en tek‐ nisk dommer fra dommerpuljen i overensstemmel‐

18(3) an additional technically qualified judge with qualifications and experience in the field of techno‐ logy concerned. Moreover, any panel of a local or regional division may, after having heard the par‐ ties, submit such request on its own initiative, whe‐ re it deems this appropriate.

se med artikel 18, stk. 3, med kvalifikationer og er‐ faring inden for det pågældende tekniske område. Desuden kan hvert panel i en lokal eller regional afdeling efter at have hørt sagens parter på eget initiativ fremsætte en sådan anmodning, når det skønnes hensigtsmæssigt.

In cases where such a technically qualified judge is allocated, no further technically qualified judge may be allocated under Article 33(3)(a).

I sager, hvor der allokeres en sådan teknisk dom‐ mer, må der ikke yderligere allokeres en teknisk dommer i henhold til artikel 33, stk. 3, litra a).

6. Any panel of the central division shall sit in a composition of two legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member Sta‐ tes and one technically qualified judge allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3) with qualifications and experience in the field of technology concerned. However, any panel of the central division dealing with actions under Ar‐ ticle 32(1)(i) shall sit in a composition of three le‐ gally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member States.

6. Hvert panel i den centrale afdeling består af to juridiske dommere, der er statsborgere i forskellige kontraherende medlemsstater, og en teknisk dom‐ mer, der allokeres fra dommerpuljen i overens‐ stemmelse med artikel 18, stk. 3, med kvalifikatio‐ ner og erfaring inden for det pågældende tekniske område. Ethvert panel i den centrale afdeling, der behandler søgsmål i henhold til artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i), består dog af tre juridiske dommere, som er statsborgere i forskellige kontraherende medlems‐ stater.

7. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 to 6 and in ac‐ cordance with the Rules of Procedure, parties may agree to have their case heard by a single legally qualified judge.

7. Uanset stk. 1-6 og i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet kan parterne aftale at få deres sag behandlet af en enkelt juridisk dommer.

8. Any panel of the Court of First Instance shall be chaired by a legally qualified judge.

8. Hvert panel i Førsteinstansdomstolen skal ha‐ ve en juridisk dommer som formand.

Article 9 Artikel 9

The Court of Appeal Appeldomstolen

1. Any panel of the Court of Appeal shall sit in a multinational composition of five judges. It shall sit in a composition of three legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member States and two technically qualified judges with qualifications and experience in the field of techno‐ logy concerned. Those technically qualified judges shall be assigned to the panel by the President of the Court of Appeal from the pool of judges in ac‐ cordance with Article 18.

1. Hvert panel i Appeldomstolen skal have en multinational sammensætning bestående af fem dommere. Det består af tre juridiske dommere, der er statsborgere i forskellige kontraherende med‐ lemsstater, og to tekniske dommere med kvalifika‐ tioner og erfaring inden for det pågældende tekni‐ ske område. De tekniske dommere tilknyttes pane‐ let af Appeldomstolens præsident fra dommerpul‐ jen i overensstemmelse med artikel 18.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, a panel dealing with actions under Article 32(1)(i) shall sit in a

2. Uanset stk. 1 består ethvert panel, der behand‐ ler søgsmål i henhold til artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i),

composition of three legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member Sta‐ tes.

dog af tre juridiske dommere, som er statsborgere i forskellige kontraherende medlemsstater.

3. Any panel of the Court of Appeal shall be chai‐ red by a legally qualified judge.

3. Hvert panel i Appeldomstolen skal have en ju‐ ridisk dommer som formand.

4. The panels of the Court of Appeal shall be set up in accordance with the Statute.

4. Appeldomstolens paneler oprettes i overens‐ stemmelse med statutten.

5. The Court of Appeal shall have its seat in Lux‐ embourg.

5. Appeldomstolen har sit hjemsted i Luxem‐ bourg.

Article 10 Artikel 10

The Registry Registreringskontoret

1. A Registry shall be set up at the seat of the Court of Appeal. It shall be managed by the Regi‐ strar and perform the functions assigned to it in ac‐ cordance with the Statute. Subject to conditions set out in this Agreement and the Rules of Procedure, the register kept by the Registry shall be public.

1. Der oprettes et registreringskontor ved Appel‐ domstolens hjemsted. Det ledes af en justitssekre‐ tær og udfører de funktioner, der tillægges det i overensstemmelse med statutten. Registrerings‐ kontorets register er offentligt, jf. dog bestemmel‐ serne i denne aftale og i procesreglementet.

2. Sub-registries shall be set up at all divisions of the Court of First Instance.

2. Der oprettes underregistreringskontorer ved alle Førsteinstansdomstolens afdelinger.

3. The Registry shall keep records of all cases be‐ fore the Court. Upon filing, the sub-registry concer‐ ned shall notify every case to the Registry.

3. Registreringskontoret opbevarer fortegnelser over alle sager ved domstolen. Straks efter indgi‐ velsen af en sag meddeler det pågældende underre‐ gistreringskontor sagen til Registreringskontoret.

4. The Court shall appoint the Registrar in accor‐ dance with Article 22 of the Statute and lay down the rules governing the Registrar᾽s service.

4. Domstolen udnævner justitssekretæren i over‐ ensstemmelse med artikel 22 i statutten og fastsæt‐ ter reglerne for dennes stilling.

Article 11 Artikel 11

Committees Udvalg

An Administrative Committee, a Budget Commit‐ tee and an Advisory Committee shall be set up in order to ensure the effective implementation and operation of this Agreement. They shall in particu‐ lar exercise the duties foreseen by this Agreement and the Statute.

Der oprettes et administrativt udvalg, et budget‐ udvalg og et rådgivende udvalg for at sikre, at den‐ ne aftale gennemføres og fungerer effektivt. De varetager navnlig de opgaver, der er omhandlet i denne aftale og i statutten.

Article 12 Artikel 12

The Administrative Committee Det Administrative Udvalg

1. The Administrative Committee shall be com‐ posed of one representative of each Contracting Member State. The European Commission shall be represented at the meetings of the Administrative Committee as observer.

1. Det Administrative Udvalg består af én repræ‐ sentant for hver kontraherende medlemsstat. Euro‐ pa-Kommissionen er repræsenteret som observatør på Det Administrative Udvalgs møder.

2. Each Contracting Member State shall have one vote.

2. Hver kontraherende medlemsstat har én stem‐ me.

3. The Administrative Committee shall adopt its decisions by a majority of three quarters of the Contracting Member States represented and voting, except where this Agreement or the Statute provi‐ des otherwise.

3. Det Administrative Udvalg træffer sine beslut‐ ninger med et flertal på tre fjerdedele af de kontra‐ herende medlemsstater, der er repræsenteret og deltager i afstemningen, medmindre andet er fast‐ sat i denne aftale eller i statutten.

4. The Administrative Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

4. Det Administrative Udvalg vedtager selv sin forretningsorden.

5. The Administrative Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members for a term of three years. That term shall be renewable.

5. Det Administrative Udvalg vælger en formand af sin midte for en periode på tre år. Genudnævnel‐ se kan finde sted.

Article 13 Artikel 13

The Budget Committee Budgetudvalget

1. The Budget Committee shall be composed of one representative of each Contracting Member State.

1. Budgetudvalget består af én repræsentant for hver kontraherende medlemsstat.

2. Each Contracting Member State shall have one vote.

2. Hver kontraherende medlemsstat har én stem‐ me.

3. The Budget Committee shall take its decisions by a simple majority of the representatives of the Contracting Member States. However, a majority of three-quarters of the representatives of Contracting Member States shall be required for the adoption of the budget.

3. Budgetudvalget træffer sine beslutninger med simpelt flertal blandt de kontraherende medlems‐ staters repræsentanter. Der kræves dog et flertal på tre fjerdedele af de kontraherende medlemsstaters repræsentanter til at vedtage budgettet.

4. The Budget Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

4. Budgetudvalget vedtager selv sin forretnings‐ orden.

5. The Budget Committee shall elect a chairper‐ son from among its members for a term of three years. That term shall be renewable.

5. Budgetudvalget vælger en formand af sin mid‐ te for en periode på tre år. Genudnævnelse kan fin‐ de sted.

Article 14 Artikel 14

The Advisory Committee Det Rådgivende Udvalg

1. The Advisory Committee shall: 1. Det Rådgivende Udvalg: a) assist the Administrative Committee in the pre‐

paration of the appointment of judges of the Court;

a) bistår Det Administrative Udvalg med forbere‐ delsen af udnævnelsen af dommere ved dom‐ stolen

b) make proposals to the Presidium referred to in Article 15 of the Statute on the guidelines for the training framework for judges referred to in Article 19; and

b) forelægger Præsidiet, jf. statuttens artikel 15, forslag til de i artikel 19 omhandlede retnings‐ linjer for uddannelsesordningen for dommere og

c) deliver opinions to the Administrative Commit‐ tee concerning the requirements for qualificati‐ ons referred to in Article 48(2).

c) afgiver udtalelse til Det Administrative Ud‐ valg om de i artikel 48, stk. 2, omhandlede kvalifikationskrav.

2. The Advisory Committee shall comprise patent judges and practitioners in patent law and patent li‐ tigation with the highest recognised competence. They shall be appointed, in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Statute, for a term of six years. That term shall be renewable.

2. Det Rådgivende Udvalg skal bestå af patent‐ dommere og fagpersoner i patentret og patentrets‐ sager med den højeste anerkendte kompetence. De udnævnes efter den i statutten fastlagte procedure for en periode på seks år. Genudnævnelse kan fin‐ de sted.

3. The composition of the Advisory Committee shall ensure a broad range of relevant expertise and the representation of each of the Contracting Mem‐ ber States. The members of the Advisory Commit‐ tee shall be completely independent in the perfor‐ mance of their duties and shall not be bound by any instructions.

3. Det Rådgivende Udvalgs sammensætning skal sikre en bred vifte af relevant ekspertise og repræ‐ sentation af hver af de kontraherende medlemssta‐ ter. Medlemmerne af Det Rådgivende Udvalg skal være fuldstændig uafhængige ved udøvelsen af de‐ res hverv og ikke være bundet af nogen instrukser.

4. The Advisory Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

4. Det Rådgivende Udvalg vedtager selv sin for‐ retningsorden.

5. The Advisory Committee shall elect a chairper‐ son from among its members for a term of three years. That term shall be renewable.

5. Det Rådgivende Udvalg vælger en formand af sin midte for en periode på tre år. Genudnævnelse kan finde sted.

CHAPTER III KAPITEL III

Judges of the Court Domstolens dommere

Article 15 Artikel 15

Eligibility criteria for the appointment of judges Udvælgelseskriterier for udnævnelse af domme‐ re

1. The Court shall comprise both legally qualified judges and technically qualified judges. Judges shall ensure the highest standards of competence and shall have proven experience in the field of pa‐ tent litigation.

1. Domstolen skal bestå af både juridiske og tek‐ niske dommere. Dommerne skal sikre de højeste standarder for kompetence og skal have dokumen‐ teret erfaring inden for patentretssager.

2. Legally qualified judges shall possess the qua‐ lifications required for appointment to judicial offi‐ ces in a Contracting Member State.

2. De juridiske dommere skal have de nødvendi‐ ge kvalifikationer for beskikkelse som dommer i en kontraherende medlemsstat.

3. Technically qualified judges shall have a uni‐ versity degree and proven expertise in a field of technology. They shall also have proven knowledge of civil law and procedure relevant in patent litiga‐ tion.

3. De tekniske dommere skal have en universi‐ tetseksamen og dokumenteret erfaring inden for et teknisk område. De skal tillige have dokumenteret kendskab til civilret og civil retspleje, som er rele‐ vant for patentretssager.

Article 16 Artikel 16

Appointment procedure Udnævnelsesprocedure

1. The Advisory Committee shall establish a list of the most suitable candidates to be appointed as judges of the Court, in accordance with the Statute.

1. Det Rådgivende Udvalg udarbejder en liste over de bedst egnede kandidater med henblik på udnævnelse til dommere ved domstolen i overens‐ stemmelse med statutten.

2. On the basis of that list, the Administrative Committee shall appoint the judges of the Court ac‐ ting by common accord.

2. På grundlag af denne liste udnævner Det Ad‐ ministrative Udvalg domstolens dommere ved fæl‐ les overenskomst.

3. The implementing provisions for the appoint‐ ment of judges are set out in the Statute.

3. Gennemførelsesbestemmelserne om udnæv‐ nelse af dommere er fastsat i statutten.

Article 17 Artikel 17

Judicial independence and impartiality Retlig uafhængighed og upartiskhed

1. The Court, its judges and the Registrar shall enjoy judicial independence. In the performance of their duties, the judges shall not be bound by any instructions.

1. Domstolen, dens dommere og justitssekretæ‐ ren skal være retligt uafhængige. Dommerne er ved udøvelsen af deres hverv ikke bundet af nogen instrukser.

2. Legally qualified judges, as well as technically qualified judges who are full-time judges of the

2. Hverken juridiske eller tekniske fuldtidsdom‐ mere ved domstolen må udøve nogen anden —

Court, may not engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not, unless an exception is gran‐ ted by the Administrative Committee.

lønnet eller ulønnet — erhvervsmæssig virksom‐ hed, medmindre Det Administrative Udvalg ind‐ rømmer en undtagelse.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, the exercise of the office of judges shall not exclude the exercise of other judicial functions at national level.

3. Uanset stk. 2 er udøvelsen af hvervet som dommer ikke til hinder for udøvelsen af andre stil‐ linger i retsvæsenet på nationalt plan.

4. The exercise of the office of technically quali‐ fied judges who are part-time judges of the Court shall not exclude the exercise of other functions provided there is no conflict of interest.

4. Udøvelsen af hvervet som teknisk deltidsdom‐ mer ved domstolen er ikke til hinder for varetagel‐ sen af andre stillinger, forudsat at der ikke er no‐ gen interessekonflikt.

5. In case of a conflict of interest, the judge con‐ cerned shall not take part in proceedings. Rules go‐ verning conflicts of interest are set out in the Statu‐ te.

5. I tilfælde af interessekonflikt deltager den på‐ gældende dommer ikke i sagens behandling. Reg‐ lerne om interessekonflikter er fastsat i statutten.

Article 18 Artikel 18

Pool of Judges Dommerpulje

1. A Pool of Judges shall be established in accor‐ dance with the Statute.

1. Der oprettes en dommerpulje i overensstem‐ melse med statutten.

2. The Pool of Judges shall be composed of all le‐ gally qualified judges and technically qualified jud‐ ges from the Court of First Instance who are full-ti‐ me or part-time judges of the Court. The Pool of Judges shall include at least one technically quali‐ fied judge per field of technology with the relevant qualifications and experience. The technically qua‐ lified judges from the Pool of Judges shall also be available to the Court of Appeal.

2. Dommerpuljen består af alle juridiske og tek‐ niske dommere fra Førsteinstansdomstolen, som er fuldtids- eller deltidsdommere ved domstolen. Dommerpuljen omfatter mindst én teknisk dom‐ mer for hvert teknisk område med relevante kvali‐ fikationer og relevant erfaring. De tekniske dom‐ mere fra dommerpuljen står også til rådighed for Appeldomstolen.

3. Where so provided by this Agreement or the Statute, the judges from the Pool of Judges shall be allocated to the division concerned by the President of the Court of First Instance. The allocation of jud‐ ges shall be based on their legal or technical ex‐ pertise, linguistic skills and relevant experience. The allocation of judges shall guarantee the same high quality of work and the same high level of le‐ gal and technical expertise in all panels of the Court of First Instance.

3. Når der er fastsat bestemmelser herom i denne aftale eller statutten, allokerer Førsteinstansdoms‐ tolens præsident dommere fra dommerpuljen til den pågældende afdeling. Allokeringen af domme‐ re skal baseres på deres juridiske eller tekniske ek‐ spertise, sproglige færdigheder og relevante erfa‐ ring. Allokeringen af dommere skal sikre den samme høje kvalitet af arbejdet og det samme høje niveau for juridisk og teknisk ekspertise i alle Før‐ steinstansdomstolens paneler.

Article 19 Artikel 19

Training framework Uddannelsesordning

1. A training framework for judges, the details of which are set out in the Statute, shall be set up in order to improve and increase available patent liti‐ gation expertise and to ensure a broad geographic distribution of such specific knowledge and expe‐ rience. The facilities for that framework shall be si‐ tuated in Budapest.

1. Der oprettes en uddannelsesordning for dom‐ mere, som er nærmere beskrevet i statutten, for at forbedre og øge den disponible ekspertise i patent‐ retssager og sikre en bred geografisk fordeling af denne særlige viden og erfaring. Faciliteterne for ordningen er beliggende i Budapest.

2. The training framework shall in particular fo‐ cus on:

2. Uddannelsesordningen fokuserer især på:

a) internships in national patent courts or divisi‐ ons of the Court of First Instance hearing a sub‐ stantial number of patent litigation cases;

a) praktikophold ved nationale patentdomstole eller afdelinger af Førsteinstansdomstolen, der har et betydeligt antal patentretssager

b) improvement of linguistic skills; b) forbedring af sproglige færdigheder c) technical aspects of patent law; c) tekniske aspekter af patentretten d) the dissemination of knowledge and experience

in civil procedure for technically qualified jud‐ ges;

d) formidling af viden om og erfaring i civil rets‐ pleje for tekniske dommere

e) the preparation of candidate-judges. e) forberedelse af dommerkandidater.

3. The training framework shall provide for conti‐ nuous training. Regular meetings shall be organised between all judges of the Court in order to discuss developments in patent law and to ensure the consi‐ stency of the Court᾽s case law.

3. Uddannelsesordningen omfatter efter- og vide‐ reuddannelse. Der afholdes regelmæssigt møder mellem alle dommere ved domstolen for at drøfte udviklinger i patentretten og sikre, at domstolens retspraksis er konsekvent.

CHAPTER IV KAPITEL IV

The primacy of Union law, liability and responsi‐ bility of the Contracting Member States

EU-rettens forrang, de kontraherende medlems‐ staters erstatningsansvar og ansvar

Article 20 Artikel 20

Primacy of and respect for Union law EU-rettens forrang og overholdelse

The Court shall apply Union law in its entirety and shall respect its primacy.

Domstolen anvender EU-retten i sin helhed og respekterer dens forrang.

Article 21 Artikel 21

Requests for preliminary rulings Anmodninger om præjudicielle afgørelser

As a court common to the Contracting Member States and as part of their judicial system, the Court

Da domstolen er fælles for de kontraherende medlemsstater og er en del af deres retssystem,

shall cooperate with the Court of Justice of the European Union to ensure the correct application and uniform interpretation of Union law, as any na‐ tional court, in accordance with Article 267 TFEU in particular. Decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union shall be binding on the Court.

samarbejder den med Den Europæiske Unions Domstol for at sikre korrekt anvendelse og ensartet fortolkning af EU-retten lige som enhver national domstol, navnlig i henhold til artikel 267 i TEUF. Den Europæiske Unions Domstols afgørelser er bindende for domstolen.

Article 22 Artikel 22

Liability for damage caused by infringements of Union law

Erstatningsansvar som følge af overtrædelser af EU-retten

1. The Contracting Member States are jointly and severally liable for damage resulting from an infri‐ ngement of Union law by the Court of Appeal, in accordance with Union law concerning non-con‐ tractual liability of Member States for damage cau‐ sed by their national courts breaching Union law.

1. De kontraherende medlemsstater hæfter soli‐ darisk for skade, der skyldes Appeldomstolens overtrædelse af EU-retten, i overensstemmelse med EU-retten vedrørende medlemsstaternes an‐ svar uden for kontraktforhold for skade, der er for‐ årsaget af, at deres nationale domstole har tilside‐ sat EU-retten.

2. An action for such damages shall be brought against the Contracting Member State where the claimant has its residence or principal place of busi‐ ness or, in the absence of residence or principal pla‐ ce of business, place of business, before the compe‐ tent authority of that Contracting Member State. Where the claimant does not have its residence, or principal place of business or, in the absence of re‐ sidence or principal place of business, place of business in a Contracting Member State, the clai‐ mant may bring such an action against the Contrac‐ ting Member State where the Court of Appeal has its seat, before the competent authority of that Con‐ tracting Member State.

2. Et sådant erstatningssøgsmål anlægges mod den kontraherende medlemsstat, hvor sagsøger har sin bopæl eller sit hovedforretningssted eller, hvis en bopæl eller et hovedforretningssted ikke fore‐ findes, sit forretningssted, ved den pågældende kontraherende medlemsstats kompetente myndig‐ hed. Hvis sagsøger ikke har sin bopæl eller sit ho‐ vedforretningssted eller, hvis en bopæl eller et ho‐ vedforretningssted ikke forefindes, sit forretnings‐ sted i en kontraherende medlemsstat, kan sagsøger anlægge søgsmålet mod den kontraherende med‐ lemsstat, hvor Appeldomstolen har sit hjemsted, ved den pågældende kontraherende medlemsstats kompetente myndighed.

The competent authority shall apply the lex fori, with the exception of its private international law, to all questions not regulated by Union law or by this Agreement. The claimant shall be entitled to obtain the entire amount of damages awarded by the competent authority from the Contracting Mem‐ ber State against which the action was brought.

Den kompetente myndighed anvender lex fori, dog undtaget dets internationale privatret, på alle spørgsmål, der ikke er reguleret af EU-retten eller af denne aftale. Sagsøger er berettiget til at modta‐ ge hele det erstatningsbeløb, som den kompetente myndighed har tilkendt denne, fra den kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstat, mod hvilken søgsmålet var an‐ lagt.

3. The Contracting Member State that has paid damages is entitled to obtain proportional contribu‐ tion, established in accordance with the method laid down in Article 37(3) and (4), from the other Con‐

3. Den kontraherende medlemsstat, der har betalt erstatning, er berettiget til modtage et proportionelt bidrag, som er fastlagt i overensstemmelse med den metode, der er fastsat i artikel 37, stk. 3 og 4,

tracting Member States. The detailed rules gover‐ ning the Contracting Member States᾽ contribution under this paragraph shall be determined by the Ad‐ ministrative Committee.

fra de øvrige kontraherende medlemsstater. De nærmere regler for de kontraherende medlemssta‐ ters bidrag i henhold til dette stykke fastlægges af Det Administrative Udvalg.

Article 23 Artikel 23

Responsibility of the Contracting Member Sta‐ tes

De kontraherende medlemsstaters ansvar

Actions of the Court are directly attributable to each Contracting Member State individually, inclu‐ ding for the purposes of Articles 258, 259 and 260 TFEU, and to all Contracting Member States col‐ lectively.

Domstolens handlinger tilskrives direkte hver af de kontraherende medlemsstater individuelt, her‐ under med henblik på artikel 258, 259 og 260 i TEUF, og alle kontraherende medlemsstater kol‐ lektivt.

CHAPTER V KAPITEL V

Sources of law and substantive law Retskilder og materiel ret

Article 24 Artikel 24

Sources of law Retskilder

1. In full compliance with Article 20, when hea‐ ring a case brought before it under this Agreement, the Court shall base its decisions on:

1. Ved behandling af en sag, der forelægges i henhold til denne aftale, træffer domstolen i fuld overensstemmelse med artikel 20 sine afgørelser på baggrund af:

a) Union law, including Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012 and Regulation (EU) No 1260/20127) ;

a) EU-retten, herunder forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012 og forordning (EU) nr. 1260/20127)

b) this Agreement; b) denne aftale c) the EPC; c) EPK d) other international agreements applicable to pa‐

tents and binding on all the Contracting Mem‐ ber States; and

d) andre internationale aftaler, der finder anven‐ delse på patenter og er bindende for alle de kontraherende medlemsstater, og

e) national law. e) national ret.

2. To the extent that the Court shall base its deci‐ sions on national law, including where relevant the law of non-contracting States, the applicable law shall be determined:

2. I det omfang, domstolen træffer afgørelse efter national ret, herunder hvor det er relevant efter ik‐ ke-kontraherende staters ret, bestemmes lovvalget:

a) by directly applicable provisions of Union law containing private international law rules, or

a) af umiddelbart anvendelige bestemmelser i EU-retten, der indeholder internationalprivat‐ retlige regler, eller

b) in the absence of directly applicable provisions of Union law or where the latter do not apply,

b) i mangel af umiddelbart anvendelige bestem‐ melser i EU-retten, eller såfremt sidstnævnte

by international instruments containing private international law rules; or

ikke finder anvendelse, af internationale in‐ strumenter, der indeholder internationalprivat‐ retlige regler, eller

c) in the absence of provisions referred to in points (a) and (b), by national provisions on private international law as determined by the Court.

c) i mangel af de i litra a) og b) omhandlede be‐ stemmelser, af internationalprivatretlige natio‐ nale bestemmelser som fastlagt af domstolen.

3. The law of non-contracting States shall apply when designated by application of the rules referred to in paragraph 2, in particular in relation to Artic‐ les 25 to 28, 54, 55, 64, 68 and 72.

3. Ikke-kontraherende staters ret finder anvendel‐ se, når de udpeges under anvendelse af bestemmel‐ serne i stk. 2, navnlig i forbindelse med artikel 25-28 og artikel 54, 55, 64, 68 samt 72.

Article 25 Artikel 25

Right to prevent the direct use of the invention Ret til at forhindre direkte udnyttelse af opfin‐ delsen

A patent shall confer on its proprietor the right to prevent any third party not having the proprietor᾽s consent from the following:

Et patent giver patenthaveren ret til at forhindre, at tredjemand, der ikke har patenthaverens samtyk‐ ke:

a) making, offering, placing on the market or using a product which is the subject-matter of the patent, or importing or storing the product for those purposes;

a) fremstiller, udbyder, bringer i omsætning eller anvender et produkt, der er genstand for pa‐ tentet, eller importerer eller besidder produktet med sådant formål

b) using a process which is the subject-matter of the patent or, where the third party knows, or should have known, that the use of the process is prohibited without the consent of the patent proprietor, offering the process for use within the territory of the Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect;

b) anvender en fremgangsmåde, der er genstand for patentet, eller, såfremt den pågældende tredjemand ved eller burde vide, at fremgangs‐ måden ikke må anvendes uden patenthaverens samtykke, udbyder fremgangsmåden til anven‐ delse på de kontraherende medlemsstaters om‐ råde, hvor patentet har retsvirkning

c) offering, placing on the market, using, or im‐ porting or storing for those purposes a product obtained directly by a process which is the sub‐ ject-matter of the patent.

c) udbyder, bringer i omsætning, anvender eller importerer eller besidder med sådant formål, et produkt, som direkte er fremstillet ved en fremgangsmåde, der er genstand for patentet.

Article 26 Artikel 26

Right to prevent the indirect use of the invention Ret til at forhindre indirekte udnyttelse af op‐ findelsen

1. A patent shall confer on its proprietor the right to prevent any third party not having the propri‐ etor’s consent from supplying or offering to supply, within the territory of the Contracting Member Sta‐ tes in which that patent has effect, any person other

1. Et patent giver patenthaveren ret til at forhind‐ re tredjemand, der ikke har patenthaverens sam‐ tykke, i at levere eller tilbyde nogen anden person end en part, der er berettiget til at udnytte den pa‐ tenterede opfindelse, midler til at udøve opfindel‐

than a party entitled to exploit the patented inven‐ tion, with means, relating to an essential element of that invention, for putting it into effect therein, when the third party knows, or should have known, that those means are suitable and intended for put‐ ting that invention into effect.

sen på de kontraherende medlemsstaters område, hvor patentet har retsvirkning, såfremt disse midler vedrører et væsentligt element i opfindelsen, og den pågældende tredjemand ved eller burde vide, at de er egnede og bestemt til sådan anvendelse.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply when the means are staple commercial products, except where the third party induces the person supplied to perform any of the acts prohibited by Article 25.

2. Stk. 1 finder ikke anvendelse, når midlerne er i handelen almindeligt forekommende varer, med‐ mindre den pågældende tredjemand tilskynder modtageren til at begå handlinger, som er forbudt i henhold til artikel 25.

3. Persons performing the acts referred to in Ar‐ ticle 27(a) to (e) shall not be considered to be par‐ ties entitled to exploit the invention within the mea‐ ning of paragraph 1.

3. Personer, der udfører de i artikel 27, litra a)-e), nævnte handlinger, betragtes ikke som parter, der i henhold til stk. 1 er berettigede til at udnytte opfin‐ delsen.

Article 27 Artikel 27

Limitations of the effects of a patent Begrænsning af retsvirkningerne af et patent

The rights conferred by a patent shall not extend to any of the following:

De rettigheder, der følger af et patent, omfatter ikke følgende:

a) acts done privately and for non-commercial purposes;

a) handlinger, der udføres inden for private ram‐ mer og i ikke-erhvervsmæssigt øjemed

b) acts done for experimental purposes relating to the subject-matter of the patented invention;

b) handlinger, der udføres i forsøgsøjemed i for‐ bindelse med genstanden for den patenterede opfindelse

c) the use of biological material for the purpose of breeding, or discovering and developing other plant varieties;

c) brug af biologisk materiale til forædling, op‐ dagelse og udvikling af andre plantesorter

d) the acts allowed pursuant to Article 13(6) of Directive 2001/82/EC8) or Article 10(6) of Di‐ rective 2001/83/EC9) in respect of any patent covering the product within the meaning of ei‐ ther of those Directives;

d) handlinger, som er tilladt i henhold til artikel 13, stk. 6, i direktiv 2001/82/EF8) eller artikel 10, stk. 6, i direktiv 2001/83/EF9) i forbindel‐ se med et patent, der omfatter et produkt som omhandlet i et af de nævnte direktiver

e) the extemporaneous preparation by a pharma‐ cy, for individual cases, of a medicine in ac‐ cordance with a medical prescription or acts concerning the medicine so prepared;

e) den umiddelbare tilberedning i et apotek af et lægemiddel efter lægerecept i individuelle til‐ fælde eller handlinger, der vedrører det såle‐ des fremstillede lægemiddel

f) the use of the patented invention on board ves‐ sels of countries of the International Union for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Union) or members of the World Trade Orga‐ nisation, other than those Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect, in the

f) udnyttelsen af den patenterede opfindelse om bord på fartøjer fra lande, der deltager i Den Internationale Union til Beskyttelse af Indu‐ striel Ejendomsret (Pariserunionen), eller lan‐ de, der er medlemmer af Verdenshandelsorg‐ anisationen, bortset fra de kontraherende

body of such vessel, in the machinery, tackle, gear and other accessories, when such vessels temporarily or accidentally enter the waters of a Contracting Member State in which that pa‐ tent has effect, provided that the invention is used there exclusively for the needs of the vessel;

medlemsstater, hvor det pågældende patent har retsvirkning, i et sådant fartøjs skrog, ma‐ skiner, takkelage, udrustning eller andet tilbe‐ hør, når sådanne fartøjer midlertidigt eller til‐ fældigt kommer ind på søterritoriet i en kon‐ traherende medlemsstat, hvor det pågældende patent har retsvirkning, forudsat at opfindel‐ sen udelukkende anvendes til fartøjets behov

g) the use of the patented invention in the con‐ struction or operation of aircraft or land vehic‐ les or other means of transport of countries of the International Union for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Union) or members of the World Trade Organisation, other than those Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect, or of accessories to such aircraft or land vehicles, when these tempora‐ rily or accidentally enter the territory of a Contracting Member State in which that pa‐ tent has effect;

g) udnyttelsen af den patenterede opfindelse ved bygning eller drift af luftfartøjer eller land‐ transportmidler eller andre transportmidler fra lande, der tilhører Den Internationale Uni‐ on til Beskyttelse af Industriel Ejendomsret (Pariserunionen), eller lande, der er medlem‐ mer af Verdenshandelsorganisationen, bortset fra de kontraherende medlemsstater, hvor det pågældende patent har retsvirkning, eller af tilbehør til sådanne luftfartøjer eller land‐ transportmidler, når disse midlertidigt eller tilfældigt kommer ind på en kontraherende medlemsstats område, hvor det pågældende patent har retsvirkning

h) the acts specified in Article 27 of the Conven‐ tion on International Civil Aviation of 7 De‐ cember 194410), where these acts concern the aircraft of a country party to that Convention other than a Contracting Member State in which that patent has effect;

h) de handlinger, der er nævnt i artikel 27 i kon‐ ventionen af 7. december 1944 angående in‐ ternational civil luftfart10), når disse handlin‐ ger angår et luftfartøj fra et andet land, der er part i konventionen, end en kontraherende medlemsstat, hvor patentet har retsvirkning

i) the use by a farmer of the product of his har‐ vest for propagation or multiplication by him on his own holding, provided that the plant propagating material was sold or otherwise commercialised to the farmer by or with the consent of the patent proprietor for agricultu‐ ral use. The extent and the conditions for this use correspond to those under Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 2100/9411) ;

i) en landbrugers anvendelse af sit høstudbytte til formering eller reproduktion på sin egen bedrift under forudsætning af, at planteforme‐ ringsmaterialet blev solgt eller på anden vis markedsført til landbrugeren af patenthaveren eller med dennes samtykke til landbrugsmæs‐ sige formål. Omfanget af og vilkårene for denne anvendelse svarer til det, der er fastsat i artikel 14 i forordning (EF) nr. 2100/9411)

j) the use by a farmer of protected livestock for an agricultural purpose, provided that the breeding stock or other animal reproductive material were sold or otherwise commerciali‐ sed to the farmer by or with the consent of the patent proprietor. Such use includes making the animal or other animal reproductive mate‐ rial available for the purposes of pursuing the farmer᾽s agricultural activity, but not the sale thereof within the framework of, or for the

j) en landbrugers anvendelse af beskyttede be‐ sætninger til landbrugsmæssige formål, for‐ udsat at avlsdyrene eller andet animalsk re‐ produktionsmateriale blev solgt eller på an‐ den vis markedsført til landbrugeren af pa‐ tenthaveren eller med dennes samtykke. Det‐ te omfatter, at landbrugeren fortsat kan an‐ vende dyret eller andet animalsk reprodukti‐ onsmateriale til egne landbrugsformål men ikke sælge det i forbindelse med eller med

purpose of, a commercial reproductive activi‐ ty;

henblik på reproduktion i kommercielt øje‐ med

k) the acts and the use of the obtained informa‐ tion as allowed under Articles 5 and 6 of Di‐ rective 2009/24/EC12), in particular, by its pro‐ visions on decompilation and interoperability; and

k) de handlinger og anvendelser af indsamlede oplysninger, som er tilladt i henhold til artikel 5 og 6 i direktiv 2009/24/EF12), navnlig be‐ stemmelserne om dekompilering og interope‐ rabilitet, og

l) the acts allowed pursuant to Article 10 of Di‐ rective 98/44/EC13).

l) de handlinger, der er tilladt i henhold til arti‐ kel 10 i direktiv 98/44/EF13).

Article 28 Artikel 28

Right based on prior use of the invention Ret baseret på tidligere udnyttelse af opfindel‐ sen

Any person, who, if a national patent had been granted in respect of an invention, would have had, in a Contracting Member State, a right based on prior use of that invention or a right of personal possession of that invention, shall enjoy, in that Contracting Member State, the same rights in re‐ spect of a patent for the same invention.

Enhver person, der, hvis der var meddelt et natio‐ nalt patent vedrørende en opfindelse, i en kontra‐ herende medlemsstat ville have haft en ret baseret på tidligere udnyttelse af den pågældende opfin‐ delse eller en ret til personlig besiddelse af den på‐ gældende opfindelse, har i denne kontraherende medlemsstat de samme rettigheder for så vidt an‐ går et patent vedrørende samme opfindelse.

Article 29 Artikel 29

Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a Euro‐ pean patent

Konsumption af de rettigheder, der er knyttet til et europæisk patent

The rights conferred by a European patent shall not extend to acts concerning a product covered by that patent after that product has been placed on the market in the European Union by, or with the con‐ sent of, the patent proprietor, unless there are legiti‐ mate grounds for the patent proprietor to oppose further commercialisation of the product.

De rettigheder, der følger af et europæisk patent, omfatter ikke handlinger, der angår et af patentet dækket produkt, efter at produktet er bragt i om‐ sætning i Den Europæiske Union af patenthaveren eller med dennes samtykke, medmindre patentha‐ veren har rimelig grund til at modsætte sig yderli‐ gere erhvervsmæssig udnyttelse af produktet.

Article 30 Artikel 30

Effects of supplementary protection certificates Retsvirkninger af supplerende beskyttelsescer‐ tifikater

A supplementary protection certificate shall con‐ fer the same rights as conferred by the patent and shall be subject to the same limitations and the sa‐ me obligations.

Et supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat giver de samme rettigheder som patentet og er underlagt de samme begrænsninger og de samme forpligtelser.

CHAPTER VI KAPITEL VI

International jurisdiction and competence International kompetence

Article 31 Artikel 31

International jurisdiction International kompetence

The international jurisdiction of the Court shall be established in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 or, where applicable, on the basis of the Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Lugano Convention)14).

Domstolens internationale kompetence fastlæg‐ ges i henhold til forordning (EU) nr. 1215/2012 el‐ ler i givet fald på grundlag af konventionen om retternes kompetence og om anerkendelse og fuld‐ byrdelse af retsafgørelser på det civil- og handels‐ retlige område (Luganokonventionen)14).

Article 32 Artikel 32

Competence of the Court Domstolens kompetence

1. The Court shall have exclusive competence in respect of:

1. Domstolen har enekompetence med hensyn til:

a) actions for actual or threatened infringements of patents and supplementary protection certi‐ ficates and related defences, including coun‐ terclaims concerning licences;

a) søgsmål om faktisk krænkelse eller trussel om krænkelse af patenter og supplerende be‐ skyttelsescertifikater og forsvar i forbindelse hermed, herunder modkrav om licenser

b) actions for declarations of non-infringement of patents and supplementary protection certifi‐ cates;

b) søgsmål til fastslåelse af, at der ikke forelig‐ ger krænkelse af patenter og supplerende be‐ skyttelsescertifikater

c) actions for provisional and protective measu‐ res and injunctions;

c) søgsmål om foreløbige, herunder sikrende retsmidler, og påbud eller forbud

d) actions for revocation of patents and for decla‐ ration of invalidity of supplementary protecti‐ on certificates;

d) søgsmål om ugyldigkendelse af patenter og om erklæring af ugyldighed af de suppleren‐ de beskyttelsescertifikater

e) counterclaims for revocation of patents and for declaration of invalidity of supplementary protection certificates;

e) modkrav om ugyldighed af patenter og om erklæring af ugyldighed af de supplerende beskyttelsescertifikater

f) actions for damages or compensation derived from the provisional protection conferred by a published European patent application;

f) søgsmål om erstatning eller kompensation som følge af den provisoriske beskyttelse, der er knyttet til en offentliggjort europæisk pa‐ tentansøgning

g) actions relating to the use of the invention pri‐ or to the granting of the patent or to the right based on prior use of the invention;

g) søgsmål vedrørende udnyttelse af opfindelsen forud for meddelelsen af patentet eller vedrø‐ rende den ret, der er baseret på tidligere ud‐ nyttelse af opfindelsen

h) actions for compensation for licences on the basis of Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012; and

h) søgsmål om kompensation for licenser på grundlag af artikel 8 i forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012 og

i) actions concerning decisions of the European Patent Office in carrying out the tasks referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012.

i) søgsmål vedrørende beslutninger, som Den Europæiske Patentmyndighed træffer som led i varetagelsen af de opgaver, der er omhand‐ let i artikel 9 i forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012

2. The national courts of the Contracting Member States shall remain competent for actions relating to patents and supplementary protection certificates which do not come within the exclusive competen‐ ce of the Court.

2. De kontraherende medlemsstaters nationale domstole har fortsat kompetence i søgsmål vedrø‐ rende patenter og supplerende beskyttelsescertifi‐ kater, der ikke falder ind under domstolens ene‐ kompetence.

Article 33 Artikel 33

Competence of the divisions of the Court of First Instance

Førsteinstansdomstolens afdelingers kompeten‐ ce

1. Without prejudice to paragraph 7 of this Ar‐ ticle, actions referred to in Article 32(1)(a), (c), (f) and (g) shall be brought before:

1. Med forbehold af stk. 6 anlægges de i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a), c), f) og g), omhandlede søgsmål ved:

a) the local division hosted by the Contracting Member State where the actual or threatened infringement has occurred or may occur, or the regional division in which that Contracting Member State participates; or

a) den lokale afdeling i den kontraherende med‐ lemsstat, hvor den faktiske krænkelse eller truslen om krænkelse har fundet sted eller kan finde sted, eller den regionale afdeling, som den pågældende kontraherende medlemsstat deltager i, eller

b) the local division hosted by the Contracting Member State where the defendant or, in the case of multiple defendants, one of the defen‐ dants has its residence, or principal place of business, or in the absence of residence or principal place of business, its place of busi‐ ness, or the regional division in which that Contracting Member State participates. An ac‐ tion may be brought against multiple defen‐ dants only where the defendants have a com‐ mercial relationship and where the action rela‐ tes to the same alleged infringement.

b) den lokale afdeling i den kontraherende med‐ lemsstat, hvor sagsøgte eller, hvis der er tale om flere sagsøgte, en af de sagsøgte har sin bopæl eller sit hovedforretningssted eller, hvis en bopæl eller et hovedforretningssted ikke forefindes, sit forretningssted, eller den regio‐ nale afdeling, som den pågældende kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstat deltager i. Der kan kun an‐ lægges søgsmål mod flere sagsøgte, såfremt de sagsøgte har en forretningsmæssig forbindelse, og søgsmålet vedrører den samme påståede krænkelse.

Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(h) shall be brought before the local or regional division in ac‐ cordance with point (b) of the first subparagraph.

Søgsmål omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra h), anlægges ved den lokale eller regionale afdeling i overensstemmelse med nærværende stykkes første afsnit, litra b).

Actions against defendants having their residence, or principal place of business or, in the absence of residence or principal place of business, their place of business, outside the territory of the Contracting Member States shall be brought before the local or

Søgsmål mod sagsøgte, der har deres bopæl eller deres hovedforretningssted eller, hvis en bopæl el‐ ler et hovedforretningssted ikke forefindes, deres forretningssted uden for den kontraherende med‐ lemsstats område, anlægges ved den lokale eller

regional division in accordance with point (a) of the first subparagraph or before the central division.

regionale afdeling i overensstemmelse med første afsnit, litra a), eller ved den centrale afdeling.

If the Contracting Member State concerned does not host a local division and does not participate in a regional division, actions shall be brought before the central division.

Hvis den pågældende kontraherende medlems‐ stat ikke har en lokal afdeling og ikke deltager i en regional afdeling, anlægges søgsmål ved den cen‐ trale afdeling.

2. If an action referred to in Article 32(1)(a), (c), (f), (g) or (h) is pending before a division of the Court of First Instance, any action referred to in Ar‐ ticle 32(1)(a), (c), (f), (g) or (h) between the same parties on the same patent may not be brought befo‐ re any other division.

2. Hvis et søgsmål omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a), c), f), g) eller h), verserer ved en afdeling af Førsteinstansdomstolen, kan ingen af de i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a), c), f), g) eller h), omhandlede søgsmål mellem de samme parter vedrørende det samme patent anlægges ved nogen anden afdeling.

If an action referred to in Article 32(1)(a) is pen‐ ding before a regional division and the infringe‐ ment has occurred in the territories of three or more regional divisions, the regional division concerned shall, at the request of the defendant, refer the case to the central division.

Hvis et søgsmål omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, li‐ tra a), verserer ved en regional afdeling, og kræn‐ kelsen har fundet sted på tre eller flere regionale afdelingers område, henviser den pågældende regi‐ onale afdeling på sagsøgtes begæring sagen til den centrale afdeling.

In case an action between the same parties on the same patent is brought before several different divi‐ sions, the division first seized shall be competent for the whole case and any division seized later shall declare the action inadmissible in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Såfremt et søgsmål mellem de samme parter vedrørende det samme patent er anlagt ved flere forskellige afdelinger, er den afdeling, hvor søgs‐ målet først er anlagt, kompetent med hensyn til he‐ le sagen, og en afdeling, hvor søgsmålet anlægges senere, skal afvise søgsmålet i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

3. A counterclaim for revocation as referred to in Article 32(1)(e) may be brought in the case of an action for infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(a). The local or regional division concerned shall, after having heard the parties, have the dis‐ cretion either to:

3. Der kan fremsættes modkrav om ugyldighed som omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra e), under et søgsmål om krænkelse som omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a). Den pågældende lokale eller regio‐ nale afdeling har skønsbeføjelse til efter at have hørt parterne enten:

a) proceed with both the action for infringement and with the counterclaim for revocation and request the President of the Court of First In‐ stance to allocate from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3) a technically qualified judge with qualifications and expe‐ rience in the field of technology concerned.

a) at fortsætte både med søgsmålet om krænkel‐ se og med modkravet om ugyldighed og an‐ mode Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident om i overensstemmelse med artikel 18, stk. 3, fra dommerpuljen at allokere en teknisk dommer med kvalifikationer og erfaring inden for det pågældende tekniske område

b) refer the counterclaim for revocation for deci‐ sion to the central division and suspend or proceed with the action for infringement; or

b) at henvise modkravet om ugyldighed til afgø‐ relse i den centrale afdeling og suspendere el‐ ler fortsætte med søgsmålet om krænkelse el‐ ler

c) with the agreement of the parties, refer the case for decision to the central division.

c) med parternes godkendelse at henvise sagen til afgørelse i den centrale afdeling.

4. Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(b) and (d) shall be brought before the central division. If, ho‐ wever, an action for infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(a) between the same parties relating to the same patent has been brought before a local or a regional division, these actions may only be brought before the same local or regional division.

4. De i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra b) og d), omhandle‐ de søgsmål anlægges ved den centrale afdeling. Hvis et søgsmål om krænkelse som omhandlet i ar‐ tikel 32, stk. 1, litra a), mellem de samme parter og vedrørende det samme patent er anlagt ved en lo‐ kal eller regional afdeling, kan disse søgsmål dog kun anlægges ved den samme lokale eller regiona‐ le afdeling.

5. If an action for revocation as referred to in Ar‐ ticle 32(1)(d) is pending before the central division, an action for infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(a) between the same parties relating to the sa‐ me patent may be brought before any division in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article or befo‐ re the central division. The local or regional divi‐ sion concerned shall have the discretion to proceed in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article.

5. Hvis et søgsmål om ugyldigkendelse som om‐ handlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra d), verserer ved den centrale afdeling, kan der anlægges søgsmål om krænkelse som omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a), mellem de samme parter og vedrørende det samme patent ved enhver afdeling i overensstem‐ melse med nærværende artikels stk. 1 eller ved den centrale afdeling. Den pågældende lokale eller re‐ gionale afdeling har skønsbeføjelse til at handle ef‐ ter nærværende artikels stk. 3.

6. An action for declaration of non-infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(b) pending before the central division shall be stayed once an infringe‐ ment action as referred to in Article 32(1)(a) betwe‐ en the same parties or between the holder of an ex‐ clusive licence and the party requesting a declarati‐ on of non-infringement relating to the same patent is brought before a local or regional division within three months of the date on which the action was initiated before the central division.

6. Et søgsmål til fastslåelse af, at der ikke fore‐ ligger krænkelse, som omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra b), der verserer ved den centrale afdeling, udsættes, når et søgsmål om krænkelse som om‐ handlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a), mellem de samme parter eller mellem indehaveren af en eks‐ klusiv licens og den part, der har anmodet om fast‐ slåelse af, at der ikke foreligger krænkelse vedrø‐ rende det samme patent, anlægges ved en lokal el‐ ler regional afdeling inden for tre måneder fra den dato, hvor søgsmålet blev anlagt ved den centrale afdeling.

7. Parties may agree to bring actions referred to in Article 32(1)(a) to (h) before the division of their choice, including the central division.

7. Parterne kan aftale, at søgsmål som omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra a)-h), anlægges ved en af‐ deling efter deres eget valg, herunder den centrale afdeling.

8. Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(d) and (e) can be brought without the applicant having to file notice of opposition with the European Patent Offi‐ ce.

8. Søgsmål som omhandlet i artikel 32, stk. 1, li‐ tra d) og e), kan anlægges, uden at sagsøger behø‐ ver at rejse indsigelse ved Den Europæiske Patent‐ myndighed.

9. Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(i) shall be brought before the central division.

9. De i artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i), omhandlede søgsmål anlægges ved den centrale afdeling.

10. A party shall inform the Court of any pending revocation, limitation or opposition proceedings be‐ fore the European Patent Office, and of any request for accelerated processing before the European Pa‐ tent Office. The Court may stay its proceedings when a rapid decision may be expected from the European Patent Office.

10. En part skal underrette domstolen om eventu‐ elle verserende procedurer vedrørende ugyldigken‐ delse, begrænsning eller indsigelse ved Den Euro‐ pæiske Patentmyndighed og om eventuelle anmod‐ ninger om fremskyndet behandling ved Den Euro‐ pæiske Patentmyndighed. Domstolen kan udsætte sagen, når der kan forventes en snarlig afgørelse fra Den Europæiske Patentmyndighed.

Article 34 Artikel 34

Territorial scope of decisions Retsafgørelsers territoriale anvendelsesområde

Decisions of the Court shall cover, in the case of a European patent, the territory of those Contracting Member States for which the European patent has effect.

Domstolens afgørelser finder for så vidt angår europæiske patenter anvendelse på de kontraheren‐ de medlemsstaters område, for hvilke det europæ‐ iske patent har retsvirkning.

CHAPTER VII KAPITEL VII

Patent mediation and arbitration Mægling og voldgift i patenttvister

Article 35 Artikel 35

Patent mediation and arbitration centre Center for mægling og voldgift i patenttvister

1. A patent mediation and arbitration centre (»the Centre«) is hereby established. It shall have its seats in Ljubljana and Lisbon.

1. Der oprettes hermed et center for mægling og voldgift i patenttvister (i det følgende benævnt »centret«). Centret har sine hjemsteder i Ljubljana og Lissabon.

2. The Centre shall provide facilities for mediati‐ on and arbitration of patent disputes falling within the scope of this Agreement. Article 82 shall apply mutatis mutandis to any settlement reached through the use of the facilities of the Centre, including through mediation. However, a patent may not be revoked or limited in mediation or arbitration pro‐ ceedings.

2. Centret stiller faciliteter til rådighed for mæg‐ ling og voldgift i patenttvister, der falder ind under denne aftales anvendelsesområde. Artikel 82 fin‐ der tilsvarende anvendelse på ethvert forlig, der er opnået ved anvendelse af centrets faciliteter, her‐ under gennem mægling. Et patent kan dog ikke kendes ugyldigt eller begrænses i en mæglings- el‐ ler voldgiftssag.

3. The Centre shall establish Mediation and Arbi‐ tration Rules.

3. Centret fastsætter regler for mægling og vold‐ gift.

4. The Centre shall draw up a list of mediators and arbitrators to assist the parties in the settlement of their dispute.

4. Centret udarbejder en liste over mæglere og voldgiftmænd til at bistå parterne med bilæggelsen af deres tvist.

PART II DEL II

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS FINANSIELLE BESTEMMELSER

Article 36 Artikel 36

Budget of the Court Domstolens budget

1. The budget of the Court shall be financed by the Court᾽s own financial revenues and, at least in the transitional period referred to in Article 83 as necessary, by contributions from the Contracting Member States. The budget shall be balanced.

1. Domstolens budget finansieres af domstolens egne finansielle indtægter og i hvert fald i den overgangsperiode, der er omhandlet i artikel 83, efter behov af bidrag fra de kontraherende med‐ lemsstater. Budgettet skal balancere.

2. The Court᾽s own financial revenues shall com‐ prise court fees and other revenues.

2. Domstolens egne finansielle indtægter skal be‐ stå af retsafgifter og andre indtægter.

3. Court fees shall be fixed by the Administrative Committee. They shall consist of a fixed fee, com‐ bined with a value-based fee above a pre-defined ceiling. The Court fees shall be fixed at such a level as to ensure a right balance between the principle of fair access to justice, in particular for small and me‐ dium-sized enterprises, micro-entities, natural per‐ sons, non-profit organisations, universities and pu‐ blic research organisations and an adequate contri‐ bution of the parties for the costs incurred by the Court, recognising the economic benefits to the par‐ ties involved, and the objective of a self-financing Court with balanced finances. The level of the Court fees shall be reviewed periodically by the Administrative Committee. Targeted support mea‐ sures for small and medium-sized enterprises and micro entities may be considered.

3. Retsafgifterne fastsættes af Det Administrative Udvalg. De består af en fast afgift kombineret med en værdibaseret afgift over et forud fastsat loft. Retsafgifterne fastsættes på et niveau, der sikrer den rette balance mellem princippet om rimelig adgang til retlig prøvelse, navnlig for små og mel‐ lemstore virksomheder, mikroenheder, fysiske per‐ soner, nonprofitorganisationer, universiteter og of‐ fentlige forskningsorganisationer, og et passende bidrag fra parterne til omkostninger afholdt af domstolen, under hensyntagen til de økonomiske fordele for de involverede parter og målet om en selvfinansierende domstol med balancerede finan‐ ser. Det Administrative Udvalg tager med regel‐ mæssige mellemrum retsafgifternes niveau op til revision. Målrettede støtteforanstaltninger for små og mellemstore virksomheder og mikroenheder kan overvejes.

4. If the Court is unable to balance its budget out of its own resources, the Contracting Member Sta‐ tes shall remit to it special financial contributions.

4. Hvis domstolen ikke er i stand til at balancere sit budget med sine egne midler, skal de kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstater tilføre den særlige økonomi‐ ske bidrag.

Article 37 Artikel 37

Financing of the Court Domstolens finansiering

1. The operating costs of the Court shall be cove‐ red by the budget of the Court, in accordance with the Statute.

1. Domstolens driftsomkostninger dækkes af domstolens budget i overensstemmelse med statut‐ ten.

Contracting Member States setting up a local di‐ vision shall provide the facilities necessary for that purpose. Contracting Member States sharing a re‐ gional division shall provide jointly the facilities necessary for that purpose. Contracting Member States hosting the central division, its sections or the Court of Appeal shall provide the facilities ne‐ cessary for that purpose. During an initial transitio‐ nal period of seven years starting from the date of the entry into force of this Agreement, the Contrac‐ ting Member States concerned shall also provide administrative support staff, without prejudice to the Statute of that staff.

Kontraherende medlemsstater, der opretter en lo‐ kal afdeling, stiller de nødvendige faciliteter til rå‐ dighed for denne. Kontraherende medlemsstater, der er fælles om en regional afdeling, stiller i fæl‐ lesskab de nødvendige faciliteter til rådighed for denne. Kontraherende medlemsstater, der er værts‐ lande for den centrale afdeling, dens underafdelin‐ ger eller Appeldomstolen, stiller de nødvendige fa‐ ciliteter til rådighed for denne. I en indledende overgangsperiode på syv år, som begynder på da‐ toen for denne aftales ikrafttræden, stiller de på‐ gældende kontraherende medlemsstater tillige ad‐ ministrativt personale til rådighed, uden at dette berører det pågældende personales vedtægt.

2. On the date of entry into force of this Agree‐ ment, the Contracting Member States shall provide the initial financial contributions necessary for the setting up of the Court.

2. På datoen for denne aftales ikrafttræden stiller de kontraherende medlemsstater de indledende fi‐ nansielle bidrag, der er nødvendige for domstolens oprettelse, til rådighed.

3. During the initial transitional period of seven years, starting from the date of the entry into force of this Agreement, the contribution by each Con‐ tracting Member State having ratified or acceded to the Agreement before the entry into force thereof shall be calculated on the basis of the number of European patents having effect in the territory of that State on the date of entry into force of this Agreement and the number of European patents with respect to which actions for infringement or for revocation have been brought before the natio‐ nal courts of that State in the three years preceding entry into force of this Agreement.

3. I den indledende overgangsperiode på syv år, som begynder på datoen for denne aftales ikraft‐ træden, beregnes bidraget fra hver af de kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstater, der har ratificeret eller til‐ trådt aftalen før dens ikrafttræden, på grundlag af antallet af europæiske patenter, der har retsvirk‐ ning på den pågældende stats område på datoen for denne aftales ikrafttræden, og antallet af europæ‐ iske patenter, for hvilke der er anlagt søgsmål om krænkelse eller ugyldigkendelse ved den pågæl‐ dende stats nationale domstole i de tre år, der går forud for denne aftales ikrafttræden.

During the same initial transitional period of se‐ ven years, for Member States which ratify, or acce‐ de to, this Agreement after the entry into force the‐ reof, the contributions shall be calculated on the ba‐ sis of the number of European patents having effect in the territory of the ratifying or acceding Member State on the date of the ratification or accession and the number of European patents with respect to which actions for infringement or for revocation have been brought before the national courts of the

I den samme indledende overgangsperiode på syv år beregnes bidraget for medlemsstater, der ra‐ tificerer eller tiltræder denne aftale efter dens ikrafttræden, på grundlag af antallet af europæiske patenter, der har retsvirkning på den ratificerende eller tiltrædende medlemsstats område på datoen for ratificeringen eller tiltrædelsen, og antallet af europæiske patenter, for hvilke der er anlagt søgs‐ mål om krænkelse eller ugyldigkendelse ved den ratificerende eller tiltrædende medlemsstats natio‐

ratifying or acceding Member State in the three years preceding the ratification or accession.

nale domstole i de tre år, der går forud for ratifice‐ ringen eller tiltrædelsen.

4. After the end of the initial transitional period of seven years, by which the Court is expected to have become self-financing, should contributions by the Contracting Member States become necessary, they shall be determined in accordance with the scale for the distribution of annual renewal fees for Euro‐ pean patents with unitary effect applicable at the ti‐ me the contribution becomes necessary.

4. Efter ophøret af den indledende overgangspe‐ riode på syv år, hvor domstolen forventes at være blevet selvfinansierende, fastsættes eventuelle nødvendige bidrag fra de kontraherende medlems‐ stater i overensstemmelse med den fordelingsnøgle for årsgebyrer for europæiske patenter med ensar‐ tet retsvirkning, der finder anvendelse på det tids‐ punkt, hvor bidraget bliver nødvendigt.

Article 38 Artikel 38

Financing of the training framework for judges Finansiering af uddannelsesordningen for dom‐ mere

The training framework for judges shall be finan‐ ced by the budget of the Court.

Uddannelsesordningen for dommere finansieres over domstolens budget.

Article 39 Artikel 39

Financing of the Centre Centrets finansiering

The operating costs of the Centre shall be finan‐ ced by the budget of the Court.

Centrets driftsomkostninger finansieres over domstolens budget.

PART III DEL III

ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURAL PRO‐ VISIONS

ORGANISATION OG PROCEDUREBE‐ STEMMELSER

CHAPTER I KAPITEL I

General provisions Almindelige bestemmelser

Article 40 Artikel 40

Statute Statut

1. The Statute shall lay down the details of the or‐ ganisation and functioning of the Court.

1. Statutten fastsætter de nærmere regler for domstolens organisation og funktionsmåde.

2. The Statute is annexed to this Agreement. The Statute may be amended by decision of the Admini‐ strative Committee, on the basis of a proposal of the Court or a proposal of a Contracting Member

2. Statutten er knyttet som bilag til denne aftale. Statutten kan ændres ved afgørelse truffet af Det Administrative Udvalg på forslag af domstolen el‐ ler på forslag af en kontraherende medlemsstat ef‐

State after consultation with the Court. However, such amendments shall not contradict or alter this Agreement.

ter høring af domstolen. Sådanne ændringer må dog ikke være i strid med eller ændre denne aftale.

3. The Statute shall guarantee that the functioning of the Court is organised in the most efficient and cost-effective manner and shall ensure equitable ac‐ cess to justice.

3. Statutten skal sikre, at domstolens funktions‐ måde tilrettelægges på den mest effektive og om‐ kostningseffektive måde, og sikre rimelig adgang til retlig prøvelse.

Article 41 Artikel 41

Rules of Procedure Procesreglement

1. The Rules of Procedure shall lay down the de‐ tails of the proceedings before the Court. They shall comply with this Agreement and the Statute.

1. Procesreglementet fastsætter de nærmere reg‐ ler for sagsbehandlingen ved domstolen. Det skal være i overensstemmelse med denne aftale og sta‐ tutten.

2. The Rules of Procedure shall be adopted by the Administrative Committee on the basis of broad consultations with stakeholders. The prior opinion of the European Commission on the compatibility of the Rules of Procedure with Union law shall be requested.

2. Procesreglementet vedtages af Det Admini‐ strative Udvalg på grundlag af en bred høring af interessenterne. Europa-Kommissionen anmodes om en forudgående udtalelse om procesreglemen‐ tets forenelighed med EU-retten.

The Rules of Procedure may be amended by a de‐ cision of the Administrative Committee, on the ba‐ sis of a proposal from the Court and after consulta‐ tion with the European Commission. However, such amendments shall not contradict or alter this Agreement or the Statute.

Procesreglementet kan ændres ved afgørelse truffet af Det Administrative Udvalg på forslag af domstolen og efter høring af Europa-Kommissio‐ nen. Sådanne ændringer må dog ikke være i strid med eller ændre denne aftale eller statutten.

3. The Rules of Procedure shall guarantee that the decisions of the Court are of the highest quality and that proceedings are organised in the most efficient and cost effective manner. They shall ensure a fair balance between the legitimate interests of all par‐ ties. They shall provide for the required level of discretion of judges without impairing the predicta‐ bility of proceedings for the parties.

3. Procesreglementet skal sikre, at domstolens afgørelser er af den højeste kvalitet, og at sagsbe‐ handlingen tilrettelægges på den mest effektive og omkostningseffektive måde. Det skal sikre den ret‐ te balance mellem alle parters legitime interesser. Det skal sikre de nødvendige skønsbeføjelser for dommerne, uden at det forringer sagsbehandlin‐ gens forudsigelighed for parterne.

Article 42 Artikel 42

Proportionality and fairness Proportionalitet og retfærdighed

1. The Court shall deal with litigation in ways which are proportionate to the importance and com‐ plexity thereof.

1. Domstolen behandler retssager under hensyn til deres betydning og kompleksitet.

2. The Court shall ensure that the rules, procedu‐ res and remedies provided for in this Agreement and in the Statute are used in a fair and equitable manner and do not distort competition.

2. Domstolen sikrer, at regler, procedurer og rets‐ midler omfattet af denne aftale og statutten anven‐ des på en rimelig og retfærdig måde og ikke ska‐ ber konkurrenceforvridning.

Article 43 Artikel 43

Case management Sagsforvaltning

The Court shall actively manage the cases before it in accordance with the Rules of Procedure wi‐ thout impairing the freedom of the parties to deter‐ mine the subject-matter of, and the supporting evi‐ dence for, their case.

Domstolen skal aktivt forvalte de sager, den har til behandling, i overensstemmelse med procesreg‐ lementet, uden at det svækker parternes adgang til at bestemme genstanden for og bevismaterialet til støtte for deres sag.

Article 44 Artikel 44

Electronic procedures Elektroniske procedurer

The Court shall make best use of electronic pro‐ cedures, such as the electronic filing of submissions of the parties and stating of evidence in electronic form, as well as video conferencing, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Domstolen gør i videst muligt omfang brug af elektroniske procedurer, såsom elektronisk arkive‐ ring af parternes indlæg og bevisoptagelse i elek‐ tronisk form, samt af videokonference i overens‐ stemmelse med procesreglementet.

Article 45 Artikel 45

Public proceedings Offentlige retsmøder

The proceedings shall be open to the public un‐ less the Court decides to make them confidential, to the extent necessary, in the interest of one of the parties or other affected persons, or in the general interest of justice or public order.

Retsmøderne er åbne for offentligheden, med‐ mindre domstolen i det omfang, det er nødvendigt, beslutter at afholde dem for lukkende døre af hen‐ syn til en af parterne eller andre berørte personer eller generelt af hensyn til retsplejen eller den of‐ fentlige orden.

Article 46 Artikel 46

Legal capacity Rets- og handleevne

Any natural or legal person, or any body equiva‐ lent to a legal person entitled to initiate proceedings in accordance with its national law, shall have the capacity to be a party to the proceedings before the Court.

Enhver fysisk eller juridisk person og enhver sammenslutning med status som juridisk person, der har ret til at anlægge sag i henhold til national ret, har partsevne ved domstolen.

Article 47 Artikel 47

Parties Parter

1. The patent proprietor shall be entitled to bring actions before the Court.

1. Patenthaveren har ret til at anlægge søgsmål ved domstolen.

2. Unless the licensing agreement provides other‐ wise, the holder of an exclusive licence in respect of a patent shall be entitled to bring actions before the Court under the same circumstances as the pa‐ tent proprietor, provided that the patent proprietor is given prior notice.

2. Medmindre andet er fastsat i licensaftalen, har indehaveren af en eksklusiv licens til udnyttelse af et patent ret til at anlægge søgsmål ved domstolen på samme vilkår som indehaveren af et patent, for‐ udsat at patenthaveren underrettes på forhånd.

3. The holder of a non-exclusive licence shall not be entitled to bring actions before the Court, unless the patent proprietor is given prior notice and in so far as expressly permitted by the licence agreement.

3. Indehaveren af en ikke-eksklusiv licens har ik‐ ke ret til at anlægge søgsmål ved domstolen, med‐ mindre patenthaveren underrettes på forhånd, og forudsat at licensaftalen udtrykkeligt tillader det.

4. In actions brought by a licence holder, the pa‐ tent proprietor shall be entitled to join the action before the Court.

4. Patenthaveren har ret til at indtræde i et søgs‐ mål, som en licenshaver har anlagt ved retten.

5. The validity of a patent cannot be contested in an action for infringement brought by the holder of a licence where the patent proprietor does not take part in the proceedings. The party in an action for infringement wanting to contest the validity of a pa‐ tent shall have to bring actions against the patent proprietor.

5. Et patents gyldighed kan ikke anfægtes i et søgsmål om krænkelse anlagt af en licenshaver, hvis patenthaveren ikke tager del i sagen. En part i et søgsmål om krænkelse, som ønsker at anfægte et patents gyldighed, skal anlægge søgsmål mod patenthaveren.

6. Any other natural or legal person, or any body entitled to bring actions in accordance with its na‐ tional law, who is concerned by a patent, may bring actions in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

6. Enhver anden fysisk eller juridisk person, der har ret til at anlægge søgsmål i henhold til national ret, og som er berørt af et patent, kan anlægge søgsmål i overensstemmelse med procesreglemen‐ tet.

7. Any natural or legal person, or any body entit‐ led to bring actions in accordance with its national law and who is affected by a decision of the Euro‐ pean Patent Office in carrying out the tasks referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012 is entitled to bring actions under Article 32(1)(i).

7. Enhver fysisk eller juridisk person og enhver sammenslutning, der har ret til at anlægge søgsmål i henhold til national ret, og som er berørt af en be‐ slutning, som Den Europæiske Patentmyndighed har truffet som led i varetagelsen af de opgaver, der er omhandlet i artikel 9 i forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012, har ret til at anlægge søgsmål i hen‐ hold til artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i).

Article 48 Artikel 48

Representation Repræsentation

1. Parties shall be represented by lawyers authori‐ sed to practise before a court of a Contracting Member State.

1. Parterne skal repræsenteres af advokater, der har møderet for en domstol i en kontraherende medlemsstat.

2. Parties may alternatively be represented by European Patent Attorneys who are entitled to act as professional representatives before the European Patent Office pursuant to Article 134 of the EPC and who have appropriate qualifications such as a European Patent Litigation Certificate.

2. Parterne kan alternativt repræsenteres af euro‐ pæiske patentrådgivere (European Patent Attor‐ neys), der har ret til at optræde som anerkendte fuldmægtige ved Den Europæiske Patentmyndig‐ hed i henhold til artikel 134 i EPK, og som har passende kvalifikationer såsom European Patent Litigation Certificate.

3. The requirements for qualifications pursuant to paragraph 2 shall be established by the Administra‐ tive Committee. A list of European Patent Attor‐ neys entitled to represent parties before the Court shall be kept by the Registrar.

3. Kravene til kvalifikationer i henhold til stk. 2 fastlægges af Det Administrative Udvalg. Justits‐ sekretæren fører en liste over europæiske patent‐ rådgivere (European Patent Attorneys) med ret til at repræsentere parterne ved domstolen.

4. Representatives of the parties may be assisted by patent attorneys, who shall be allowed to speak at hearings of the Court in accordance with the Ru‐ les of Procedure.

4. Parternes repræsentanter kan bistås af europæ‐ iske patentrådgivere (European Patent Attorneys), der har ret til at udtale sig på domstolens retsmø‐ der i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

5. Representatives of the parties shall enjoy the rights and immunities necessary for the indepen‐ dent exercise of their duties, including the privilege from disclosure in proceedings before the Court in respect of communications between a representati‐ ve and the party or any other person, under the con‐ ditions laid down in the Rules of Procedure, unless such privilege is expressly waived by the party con‐ cerned.

5. Parternes repræsentanter nyder på de vilkår, der er fastsat i procesreglementet, de rettigheder og garantier, der er nødvendige for, at de kan udøve deres hverv uafhængigt, herunder privilegiet til ik‐ ke at give oplysninger i retssager ved domstolen om kommunikation mellem en repræsentant og parten eller enhver anden person, på de betingel‐ ser, der er fastsat i procesreglementet, medmindre den pågældende part udtrykkeligt giver afkald på et sådant privilegium.

6. Representatives of the parties shall be obliged not to misrepresent cases or facts before the Court either knowingly or with good reasons to know.

6. Parternes repræsentanter har pligt til ikke at give en misvisende fremstilling af sager eller fakti‐ ske omstændigheder ved domstolen hverken mod bedre vidende, eller hvis de burde have kendskab til, at det forholder sig anderledes.

7. Representation in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall not be required in pro‐ ceedings under Article 32(1)(i).

7. Repræsentation i overensstemmelse med nær‐ værende artikels stk. 1 og 2 kræves ikke i søgsmål i henhold til artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i).

CHAPTER II KAPITEL II

Language of proceedings Processprog

Article 49 Artikel 49

Language of proceedings at the Court of First Instance

Processprog ved Førsteinstansdomstolen

1. The language of proceedings before any local or regional division shall be an official European Union language which is the official language or one of the official languages of the Contracting Member State hosting the relevant division, or the official language(s) designated by Contracting Member States sharing a regional division.

1. Processproget ved en lokal eller regional afde‐ ling er et officielt EU-sprog, som er det officielle sprog eller et af de officielle sprog i den kontrahe‐ rende medlemsstat, hvor den relevante afdeling er beliggende, eller det eller de officielle sprog, der udpeges af kontraherende medlemsstater, som er fælles om en regional afdeling.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Contracting Member States may designate one or more of the official languages of the European Patent Office as the language of proceedings of their local or regio‐ nal division.

2. Uanset stk. 1 kan de kontraherende medlems‐ stater udpege et eller flere af Den Europæiske Pa‐ tentmyndigheds officielle sprog som deres lokale eller regionale afdelings processprog.

3. The parties may agree on the use of the langua‐ ge in which the patent was granted as the language of proceedings, subject to approval by the compe‐ tent panel. If the panel does not approve their choi‐ ce, the parties may request that the case be referred to the central division.

3. Parterne kan aftale at benytte det sprog, på hvilket patentet blev meddelt, som processprog med forbehold af det kompetente panels godken‐ delse. Hvis panelet ikke godkender deres valg, kan parterne anmode om, at sagen henvises til den cen‐ trale afdeling.

4. With the agreement of the parties the compe‐ tent panel may, on grounds of convenience and fair‐ ness, decide on the use of the language in which the patent was granted as the language of proceedings.

4. Med parternes godkendelse kan det kompeten‐ te panel af nemheds- og rimelighedsgrunde beslut‐ te at benytte det sprog, på hvilket patentet er med‐ delt, som processprog.

5. At the request of one of the parties and after having heard the other parties and the competent panel, the President of the Court of First Instance may, on grounds of fairness and taking into account all relevant circumstances, including the position of parties, in particular the position of the defendant, decide on the use of the language in which the pa‐ tent was granted as language of proceedings. In this case the President of the Court of First Instance shall assess the need for specific translation and in‐ terpretation arrangements.

5. På anmodning af en af parterne og efter at ha‐ ve hørt den eller de andre parter og det kompetente panel kan Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident af ri‐ melighedsgrunde og under hensyntagen til alle re‐ levante omstændigheder, herunder parternes og navnlig sagsøgtes holdning, beslutte at benytte det sprog, på hvilket patentet er meddelt, som proces‐ sprog. I dette tilfælde vurderer Førsteinstansdoms‐ tolens præsident behovet for specifikke oversættel‐ ses- og tolkeordninger.

6. The language of proceedings at the central di‐ vision shall be the language in which the patent concerned was granted.

6. Processproget ved den centrale afdeling er det sprog, på hvilket det pågældende patent er med‐ delt.

Article 50 Artikel 50

Language of proceedings at the Court of Appeal Processprog ved Appeldomstolen

1. The language of proceedings before the Court of Appeal shall be the language of proceedings be‐ fore the Court of First Instance.

1. Processproget ved Appeldomstolen er proces‐ sproget ved Førsteinstansdomstolen.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 the parties may agree on the use of the language in which the patent was granted as the language of proceedings.

2. Uanset stk. 1 kan parterne aftale at benytte det sprog, på hvilket patentet er meddelt, som proces‐ sprog.

3. In exceptional cases and to the extent deemed appropriate, the Court of Appeal may decide on another official language of a Contracting Member State as the language of proceedings for the whole or part of the proceedings, subject to agreement by the parties.

3. Undtagelsesvis og i det omfang, det skønnes hensigtsmæssigt, kan Appeldomstolen beslutte, at et andet officielt sprog i en kontraherende med‐ lemsstat skal være processprog under hele eller en del af sagens behandling med forbehold af parter‐ nes godkendelse.

Article 51 Artikel 51

Other language arrangements Andre sprogordninger

1. Any panel of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal may, to the extent deemed ap‐ propriate, dispense with translation requirements.

1. Ethvert panel i Førsteinstansdomstolen og Ap‐ peldomstolen kan i det omfang, det skønnes hen‐ sigtsmæssigt, dispensere fra kravet om oversættel‐ se.

2. At the request of one of the parties, and to the extent deemed appropriate, any division of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal shall provide interpretation facilities to assist the parties concerned at oral proceedings.

2. På anmodning af en af parterne og i det om‐ fang, det skønnes hensigtsmæssigt, stiller enhver afdeling af Førsteinstansdomstolen og Appeldoms‐ tolen tolkningsfaciliteter til rådighed til hjælp for de berørte parter ved den mundtlige forhandling.

3. Uanset artikel 49, stk. 6, har en sagsøgt, der har sin bopæl, sit hovedforretningssted eller sit for‐ retningssted i en medlemsstat, når et søgsmål om krænkelse anlægges ved den centrale afdeling, ret til på begæring at få adgang til oversættelser af re‐ levante dokumenter på sproget i den medlemsstat, hvor sagsøgte har sin bopæl, sit hovedforretnings‐ sted eller, hvis en bopæl eller et hovedforretnings‐

or principal place of business, place of business, in the following circumstances:

sted ikke forefindes, sit forretningssted, under føl‐ gende omstændigheder:

a) jurisdiction is entrusted to the central division in accordance with Article 33(1) third or fourth subparagraph, and

a) kompetencen er tillagt den centrale afdeling i overensstemmelse med artikel 33, stk. 1, tredje eller fjerde afsnit, og

b) the language of proceedings at the central di‐ vision is a language which is not an official language of the Member State where the de‐ fendant has its residence, principal place of business or, in the absence of residence or principal place of business, place of business, and

b) den centrale afdelings processprog er et sprog, som ikke er et officielt sprog i den medlems‐ stat, hvor sagsøgte har sin bopæl, sit hovedfor‐ retningssted eller, hvis en bopæl eller et ho‐ vedforretningssted ikke forefindes, sit forret‐ ningssted, og

c) the defendant does not have proper knowledge of the language of the proceedings.

c) sagsøgte har ikke tilstrækkeligt kendskab til processproget.

CHAPTER III KAPITEL III

Proceedings before the Court Sagsbehandlingen ved domstolen

Article 52 Artikel 52

Written, interim and oral procedures Skriftlige procedurer, interimsprocedurer og mundtlige procedurer

1. The proceedings before the Court shall consist of a written, an interim and an oral procedure, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. All proce‐ dures shall be organized in a flexible and balanced manner.

1. Sagsbehandlingen ved domstolen består af en skriftlig procedure, en interimsprocedure og en mundtlig procedure i overensstemmelse med pro‐ cesreglementet. Alle procedurer tilrettelægges på en fleksibel og balanceret måde.

2. In the interim procedure, after the written pro‐ cedure and if appropriate, the judge acting as Rap‐ porteur, subject to a mandate of the full panel, shall be responsible for convening an interim hearing. That judge shall in particular explore with the par‐ ties the possibility for a settlement, including through mediation, and/or arbitration, by using the facilities of the Centre referred to in Article 35.

2. I interimsproceduren, efter den skriftlige pro‐ cedure, og hvis det er hensigtsmæssigt, er den refe‐ rerende dommer med forbehold af et mandat fra hele panelet ansvarlig for at indkalde til et inte‐ rimsretsmøde. Den pågældende dommer undersø‐ ger navnlig sammen med parterne muligheden for et forlig, herunder ved mægling og/eller voldgift, under anvendelse af centrets faciliteter, jf. artikel 35.

3. The oral procedure shall give parties the oppor‐ tunity to explain properly their arguments. The Court may, with the agreement of the parties, dis‐ pense with the oral hearing.

3. Den mundtlige procedure skal give parterne mulighed for at redegøre fyldestgørende for deres argumenter. Domstolen kan med parternes godken‐ delse dispensere fra den mundtlige forhandling.

Article 53 Artikel 53

Means of evidence Bevismidler

1. In proceedings before the Court, the means of giving or obtaining evidence shall include in parti‐ cular the following:

1. Under sagsbehandlingen ved domstolen kan bevisoptagelsen navnlig ske på følgende måder:

a) hearing the parties; a) afhøring af parterne b) requests for information; b) indhentning af oplysninger c) production of documents; c) fremlæggelse af dokumenter d) hearing witnesses; d) afhøring af vidner e) opinions by experts; e) udtalelser fra sagkyndige f) inspection; f) besigtigelse g) comparative tests or experiments; g) sammenlignende undersøgelser eller forsøg h) sworn statements in writing (affidavits). h) afgivelse af skriftlige erklæringer under ed.

2. The Rules of Procedure shall govern the proce‐ dure for taking such evidence. Questioning of wit‐ nesses and experts shall be under the control of the Court and be limited to what is necessary.

2. Proceduren for bevisoptagelse er fastlagt i pro‐ cesreglementet. Afhøring af vidner og sagkyndige sker under domstolens kontrol og begrænses til, hvad der er nødvendigt.

Article 54 Artikel 54

Burden of proof Bevisbyrde

Without prejudice to Article 24(2) and (3), the burden of the proof of facts shall be on the party re‐ lying on those facts.

Det påhviler den part, der fremfører faktiske om‐ stændigheder, at løfte bevisbyrden for disse fakti‐ ske omstændigheder, jf. dog artikel 24, stk. 2 og 3.

Article 55 Artikel 55

Reversal of burden of proof Omvendt bevisbyrde

1. Without prejudice to Article 24(2) and (3), if the subject-matter of a patent is a process for obtai‐ ning a new product, the identical product when pro‐ duced without the consent of the patent proprietor shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be deemed to have been obtained by the patented pro‐ cess.

1. Angår patentet en fremgangsmåde til fremstil‐ ling af et nyt produkt, betragtes det identiske pro‐ dukt, når det er fremstillet uden patenthaverens samtykke, som fremstillet ved den patenterede fremgangsmåde, medmindre det modsatte bevises, jf. dog artikel 24, stk. 2 og 3.

2. The principle set out in paragraph 1 shall also apply where there is a substantial likelihood that the identical product was made by the patented process and the patent proprietor has been unable, despite reasonable efforts, to determine the process actually used for such identical product.

2. Princippet i stk. 1 gælder også, når der er stor sandsynlighed for, at det identiske produkt er fremstillet ved anvendelse af den patenterede fremgangsmåde, og patenthaveren trods rimelige bestræbelser ikke har været i stand til at afgøre, hvilken fremgangsmåde der faktisk er anvendt til det identiske produkt.

3. In the adduction of proof to the contrary, the le‐ gitimate interests of the defendant in protecting its manufacturing and trade secrets shall be taken into account.

3. I forbindelse med bevisførelsen for det mod‐ satte skal sagsøgtes berettigede interesse i at be‐ skytte sine fabrikations- og forretningshemmelig‐ heder tilgodeses.

CHAPTER IV KAPITEL IV

Powers of the Court Domstolens beføjelser

Article 56 Artikel 56

The general powers of the Court Domstolens almindelige beføjelser

1. The Court may impose such measures, proce‐ dures and remedies as are laid down in this Agree‐ ment and may make its orders subject to conditions, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

1. Domstolen kan pålægge de foranstaltninger, procedurer og retsmidler, der er fastlagt i denne af‐ tale, og kan knytte betingelser til sine kendelser i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

2. The Court shall take due account of the interest of the parties and shall, before making an order, gi‐ ve any party the opportunity to be heard, unless this is incompatible with the effective enforcement of such order.

2. Domstolen tager behørigt hensyn til parternes interesser og giver, før den afsiger en kendelse, en‐ hver part mulighed for at blive hørt, medmindre det er uforeneligt med en effektiv fuldbyrdelse af en sådan kendelse.

Article 57 Artikel 57

Court experts Domstolens eksperter

1. Without prejudice to the possibility for the par‐ ties to produce expert evidence, the Court may at any time appoint court experts in order to provide expertise for specific aspects of the case. The Court shall provide such expert with all information ne‐ cessary for the provision of the expert advice.

1. Uden at dette anfægter parternes mulighed for at fremlægge beviser fra sagkyndige, kan domsto‐ len på et hvilket som helst tidspunkt udpege eks‐ perter, der tilknyttes domstolen for at tilvejebringe sagkundskab i forbindelse med bestemte aspekter af sagen. Domstolen giver en sådan ekspert alle de oplysninger, der er nødvendige, for at denne kan afgive sin ekspertudtalelse.

2. To this end, an indicative list of experts shall be drawn up by the Court in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. That list shall be kept by the Regi‐ strar.

2. Med henblik herpå udarbejder domstolen en vejledende liste over eksperter i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet. Listen føres af Registre‐ ringskontoret.

3. The court experts shall guarantee independence and impartiality. Rules governing conflicts of inte‐ rest applicable to judges set out in Article 7 of the Statute shall by analogy apply to court experts.

3. Domstolens eksperter skal være uafhængige og upartiske. Reglerne om interessekonflikter, der gælder for dommere, jf. artikel 7 i statutten, finder tilsvarende anvendelse på domstolens eksperter.

4. Expert advice given to the Court by court ex‐ perts shall be made available to the parties which shall have the possibility to comment on it.

4. Ekspertudtalelser, som Domstolens eksperter forelægger domstolen, stilles til rådighed for par‐ terne, der skal have mulighed for at knytte be‐ mærkninger til de forelagte udtalelser.

Article 58 Artikel 58

Protection of confidential information Beskyttelse af fortrolige oplysninger

To protect the trade secrets, personal data or other confidential information of a party to the proceed‐ ings or of a third party, or to prevent an abuse of evidence, the Court may order that the collection and use of evidence in proceedings before it be re‐ stricted or prohibited or that access to such eviden‐ ce be restricted to specific persons.

For at beskytte en sagsparts eller tredjemands forretningshemmeligheder, personlige oplysninger eller andre fortrolige oplysninger eller for at for‐ hindre misbrug af bevismateriale, kan domstolen beslutte, at indsamling og brug af bevismateriale i en sag anlagt ved domstolen skal begrænses eller forbydes, eller at adgang til sådant bevismateriale skal begrænses til specifikke personer.

Article 59 Artikel 59

Order to produce evidence Kendelse om fremlæggelse af bevismateriale

1. At the request of a party which has presented reasonably available evidence sufficient to support its claims and has, in substantiating those claims, specified evidence which lies in the control of the opposing party or a third party, the Court may order the opposing party or a third party to present such evidence, subject to the protection of confidential information. Such order shall not result in an obli‐ gation of self-incrimination.

1. På begæring af en part, der har fremført et ri‐ meligt tilgængeligt bevismateriale, der er tilstræk‐ keligt til at understøtte hans påstande, og som til støtte for sine påstande har angivet bevismateriale, som modparten eller tredjemand har kontrol over, kan domstolen pålægge modparten eller tredje‐ mand at fremlægge dette bevismateriale, under forudsætning af at fortrolige oplysninger beskyttes. Dette pålæg må ikke medføre pligt til selvinkrimi‐ nering.

2. At the request of a party the Court may order, under the same conditions as specified in paragraph 1, the communication of banking, financial or com‐ mercial documents under the control of the oppo‐ sing party, subject to the protection of confidential information.

2. På begæring af en part kan domstolen på de samme betingelser som nævnt i stk. 1 kræve doku‐ menter med bankoplysninger samt finansielle og kommercielle oplysninger, som modparten har kontrol over, fremlagt, under forudsætning af at fortrolige oplysninger beskyttes.

Article 60 Artikel 60

Order to preserve evidence and to inspect pre‐ mises

Kendelse om sikring af bevismateriale og besig‐ tigelse af ejendom

1. At the request of the applicant which has pres‐ ented reasonably available evidence to support the

1. På begæring af rekvirenten, der har fremført et rimeligt tilgængeligt bevismateriale til støtte for

claim that the patent has been infringed or is about to be infringed the Court may, even before the com‐ mencement of proceedings on the merits of the case, order prompt and effective provisional measu‐ res to preserve relevant evidence in respect of the alleged infringement, subject to the protection of confidential information.

sin påstand om, at patentet er blevet krænket eller vil blive krænket, kan domstolen, allerede inden realitetsbehandlingen af en sag påbegyndes, afsige kendelse om, at der omgående skal iværksættes ef‐ fektive foreløbige foranstaltninger med henblik på at sikre det relevante bevismateriale i forbindelse med den påståede krænkelse, under forudsætning af at fortrolige oplysninger beskyttes.

2. Such measures may include the detailed des‐ cription, with or without the taking of samples, or the physical seizure of the infringing products, and, in appropriate cases, the materials and implements used in the production and/or distribution of those products and the documents relating thereto.

2. Sådanne foranstaltninger kan omfatte en ud‐ førlig beskrivelse af de omtvistede produkter med eller uden udtagning af prøver eller en beslaglæg‐ gelse af disse og, når det er hensigtsmæssigt, af de materialer og redskaber, der har været anvendt ved fremstillingen og/eller distributionen af produkter‐ ne og af de hertil hørende dokumenter.

3. The Court may, even before the commence‐ ment of proceedings on the merits of the case, at the request of the applicant who has presented evi‐ dence to support the claim that the patent has been infringed or is about to be infringed, order the in‐ spection of premises. Such inspection of premises shall be conducted by a person appointed by the Court in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

3. Domstolen kan, allerede inden realitetsbe‐ handlingen af en sag påbegyndes, på begæring af rekvirenten, der har fremført bevismateriale til støtte for sin påstand om, at patentet er blevet krænket eller vil blive krænket, afsige kendelse om besigtigelse af ejendom. En besigtigelse af lokali‐ teterne udføres af en person udpeget af domstolen i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

4. At the inspection of the premises the applicant shall not be present itself but may be represented by an independent professional practitioner whose na‐ me has to be specified in the Court᾽s order.

4. Ved besigtigelsen af lokaliteterne må rekviren‐ ten ikke selv være til stede, men kan være repræ‐ senteret af en uafhængig fagperson, hvis navn skal anføres i domstolens kendelse.

5. Measures shall be ordered, if necessary without the other party having been heard, in particular where any delay is likely to cause irreparable harm to the proprietor of the patent, or where there is a demonstrable risk of evidence being destroyed.

5. Kendelsen om foranstaltninger afsiges om nødvendigt, uden at modparten høres, især hvis en forsinkelse vil kunne påføre patenthaveren uopret‐ telig skade, eller hvor der foreligger en påviselig risiko for tilintetgørelse af bevismateriale.

6. Where measures to preserve evidence or in‐ spect premises are ordered without the other party in the case having been heard, the parties affected shall be given notice, without delay and at the latest immediately after the execution of the measures. A review, including a right to be heard, shall take pla‐ ce upon request of the parties affected with a view to deciding, within a reasonable period after the no‐ tification of the measures, whether the measures are to be modified, revoked or confirmed.

6. Hvis der afsiges kendelse om foranstaltninger til sikring af bevismateriale eller besigtigelse af lo‐ kaliteterne, uden at modparten høres, underrettes de berørte parter straks, og senest umiddelbart ef‐ ter at foranstaltningerne er gennemført. En efter‐ følgende prøvelse under iagttagelse af høringsret‐ ten foretages på begæring af de berørte parter, så‐ ledes at det inden for en rimelig frist efter medde‐ lelsen af foranstaltningerne kan afgøres, hvorvidt disse skal ændres, ophæves eller stadfæstes.

7. The measures to preserve evidence may be subject to the lodging by the applicant of adequate security or an equivalent assurance intended to en‐ sure compensation for any prejudice suffered by the defendant as provided for in paragraph 9.

7. Foranstaltningerne til sikring af bevismateriale kan gøres betinget af, at rekvirenten stiller en til‐ strækkelig sikkerhed eller tilsvarende forsikring med henblik på eventuel kompensation af det tab, der påføres sagsøgte, jf. stk. 9.

8. The Court shall ensure that the measures to preserve evidence are revoked or otherwise cease to have effect, at the defendant᾽s request, without pre‐ judice to the damages which may be claimed, if the applicant does not bring, within a period not excee‐ ding 31 calendar days or 20 working days, whiche‐ ver is the longer, action leading to a decision on the merits of the case before the Court.

8. Domstolen sikrer, at foranstaltningerne til sik‐ ring af bevismateriale ophæves eller på anden må‐ de ophører med at have retsvirkning på begæring af rekvisitus med forbehold af et eventuelt erstat‐ ningskrav, hvis rekvirenten ikke inden for en frist på højst 31 kalenderdage eller 20 arbejdsdage, idet den længste frist benyttes, anlægger søgsmål ved‐ rørende realiteten ved domstolen.

9. Where the measures to preserve evidence are revoked, or where they lapse due to any act or om‐ ission by the applicant, or where it is subsequently found that there has been no infringement or threat of infringement of the patent, the Court may order the applicant, at the defendant᾽s request, to provide the defendant with appropriate compensation for any damage suffered as a result of those measures.

9. Hvis foranstaltningerne til sikring af bevisma‐ teriale ophæves eller bortfalder som følge af en handling eller undladelse fra rekvirentens side, el‐ ler hvis det efterfølgende konstateres, at der ikke forelå nogen krænkelse eller trussel om krænkelse af patentet, kan domstolen på begæring af sagsøgte pålægge rekvirenten at yde rekvisitus passende er‐ statning for det tab, denne har lidt som følge af disse foranstaltninger.

Article 61 Artikel 61

Freezing orders Indefrysningskendelse

1. At the request of the applicant which has pres‐ ented reasonably available evidence to support the claim that the patent has been infringed or is about to be infringed the Court may, even before the com‐ mencement of proceedings on the merits of the case, order a party not to remove from its jurisdicti‐ on any assets located therein, or not to deal in any assets, whether located within its jurisdiction or not.

1. På begæring af rekvirenten, der har fremført et rimeligt tilgængeligt bevismateriale til støtte for sin påstand om, at patentet er blevet krænket eller vil blive krænket, kan domstolen, allerede inden realitetsbehandlingen af en sag påbegyndes, på‐ lægge en part ikke at fjerne eventuelle aktiver, der befinder sig inden for dens jurisdiktionsområde, fra dette område eller ikke at handle med nogen form for aktiver, uanset om de befinder sig inden for dens jurisdiktionsområde eller ej.

2. Article 60(5) to (9) shall apply by analogy to the measures referred to in this Article.

2. Artikel 60, stk. 5-9, finder tilsvarende anven‐ delse på de foranstaltninger, der er omhandlet i denne artikel.

Article 62 Artikel 62

Provisional and protective measures Foreløbige og sikrende retsmidler

1. The Court may, by way of order, grant injuncti‐ ons against an alleged infringer or against an inter‐ mediary whose services are used by the alleged in‐ fringer, intended to prevent any imminent infringe‐ ment, to prohibit, on a provisional basis and sub‐ ject, where appropriate, to a recurring penalty pay‐ ment, the continuation of the alleged infringement or to make such continuation subject to the lodging of guarantees intended to ensure the compensation of the right holder.

1. Domstolen kan ved kendelse udstede et fore‐ løbigt påbud eller forbud til en påstået patentkræn‐ ker eller en mellemmand, hvis tjenesteydelser be‐ nyttes af den påståede krænker, med henblik på at forhindre en nært forestående krænkelse, midlerti‐ digt og eventuelt under trussel om tvangsbøder at forbyde en fortsættelse af den påståede krænkelse eller gøre denne fortsættelse betinget af, at der stil‐ les sikkerhed for erstatning til rettighedshaveren.

2. The Court shall have the discretion to weigh up the interests of the parties and in particular to take into account the potential harm for either of the par‐ ties resulting from the granting or the refusal of the injunction.

2. Domstolen har skønsbeføjelse til at afveje par‐ ternes interesser og til navnlig at tage hensyn til den potentielle skade for parterne som følge af ud‐ stedelsen eller afvisningen af påbuddet eller for‐ buddet.

3. The Court may also order the seizure or delive‐ ry up of the products suspected of infringing a pa‐ tent so as to prevent their entry into, or movement, within the channels of commerce. If the applicant demonstrates circumstances likely to endanger the recovery of damages, the Court may order the pre‐ cautionary seizure of the movable and immovable property of the alleged infringer, including the blocking of the bank accounts and of other assets of the alleged infringer.

3. Domstolen kan også kræve beslaglæggelse el‐ ler aflevering af produkter, der mistænkes for at krænke et patent, for at forhindre, at de indføres i handelen eller omsættes. Hvis rekvirenten godtgør, at der foreligger omstændigheder, som kan vanske‐ liggøre inddrivelsen af erstatning, kan domstolen kræve arrest i den påståede krænkers løsøregen‐ stande og faste ejendom, herunder indefrysning af den påståede krænkers bankkonti og andre aktiver.

4. The Court may, in respect of the measures re‐ ferred to in paragraphs 1 and 3, require the appli‐ cant to provide any reasonable evidence in order to satisfy itself with a sufficient degree of certainty that the applicant is the right holder and that the applicant᾽s right is being infringed, or that such in‐ fringement is imminent.

4. Domstolen kan, for så vidt angår de i stk. 1 og 3 omhandlede foranstaltninger, kræve, at rekviren‐ ten fremlægger alt rimeligt bevismateriale, således at den med tilstrækkelig stor sikkerhed kan fastslå, at rekvirenten er rettighedshaveren, og at rekviren‐ tens rettigheder krænkes, eller at en sådan kræn‐ kelse er nært forestående.

5. Article 60(5) to (9) shall apply by analogy to the measures referred to in this Article.

5. Artikel 60, stk. 5-9, finder tilsvarende anven‐ delse på de foranstaltninger, der er omhandlet i nærværende artikel.

Article 63 Artikel 63

Permanent injunctions Varige påbud eller forbud

1. Where a decision is taken finding an infringe‐ ment of a patent, the Court may grant an injunction against the infringer aimed at prohibiting the conti‐ nuation of the infringement. The Court may also grant such injunction against an intermediary who‐ se services are being used by a third party to infrin‐ ge a patent.

1. Når der er truffet en retsafgørelse, som fastslår en krænkelse af et patent, kan domstolen udstede et påbud eller forbud til krænkeren med henblik på at forhindre fortsat krænkelse. Domstolen kan også udstede et sådant påbud eller forbud til en mellem‐ mand, hvis tjenesteydelser anvendes af tredjemand til at krænke en patentrettighed.

2. Where appropriate, non-compliance with the injunction referred to in paragraph 1 shall be sub‐ ject to a recurring penalty payment payable to the Court.

2. Når det er relevant, gøres manglende overhol‐ delse af påbuddet eller forbuddet i stk. 1 til gen‐ stand for tvangsbøder, der betales til domstolen.

Article 64 Artikel 64

Corrective measures in infringement proceed‐ ings

Korrigerende foranstaltninger i krænkelsessa‐ ger

1. Without prejudice to any damages due to the injured party by reason of the infringement, and wi‐ thout compensation of any sort, the Court may or‐ der, at the request of the applicant, that appropriate measures be taken with regard to products found to be infringing a patent and, in appropriate cases, with regard to materials and implements principally used in the creation or manufacture of those pro‐ ducts.

1. Uden at det berører den erstatning, der skal udredes til den forurettede part som følge af kræn‐ kelsen, og uden nogen form for kompensation kan domstolen på begæring af sagsøger kræve, at der træffes passende foranstaltninger for så vidt angår produkter, som den har fastslået krænker et patent, og hvis det er påkrævet for så vidt angår de mate‐ rialer og redskaber, der primært har været anvendt til at skabe eller fremstille de pågældende produk‐ ter.

2. Such measures shall include: 2. Disse foranstaltninger omfatter: a) a declaration of infringement; a) fastslåelse af, at der foreligger krænkelse b) recalling the products from the channels of

commerce; b) tilbagekaldelse af produkterne fra handelen

c) depriving the product of its infringing property; c) fjernelse af produktets krænkende egenskab d) definitively removing the products from the

channels of commerce; or d) endelig fjernelse af produkterne fra handelen,

eller e) the destruction of the products and/or of the

materials and implements concerned. e) tilintetgørelse af produkterne og/eller af de på‐

gældende materialer og redskaber.

3. The Court shall order that those measures be carried out at the expense of the infringer, unless particular reasons are invoked for not doing so.

3. Domstolen beordrer disse foranstaltninger gennemført for patentkrænkerens regning, med‐ mindre særlige grunde taler herimod.

4. In considering a request for corrective measu‐ res pursuant to this Article, the Court shall take into account the need for proportionality between the seriousness of the infringement and the remedies to

4. Når domstolen behandler en begæring om kor‐ rigerende foranstaltninger i henhold til denne arti‐ kel, tager den hensyn til, at der skal være propor‐ tionalitet mellem krænkelsens omfang og de beor‐

be ordered, the willingness of the infringer to con‐ vert the materials into a non-infringing state, as well as the interests of third parties.

drede retsmidler, om den pågældende patentkræn‐ ker er villig til at omdanne materialerne, så de ikke længere udgør en krænkelse, samt til tredjemands interesser.

Article 65 Artikel 65

Decision on the validity of a patent Retsafgørelse om et patents gyldighed

1. The Court shall decide on the validity of a pa‐ tent on the basis of an action for revocation or a counterclaim for revocation.

1. Domstolen træffer afgørelse om et patents gyl‐ dighed på grundlag af et søgsmål om ugyldigken‐ delse eller et modkrav om ugyldighed.

2. The Court may revoke a patent, either entirely or partly, only on the grounds referred to in Articles 138(1) and 139(2) of the EPC.

2. Domstolen kan kun kende et patent helt eller delvis ugyldigt under henvisning til de grunde, der er omhandlet i artikel 138, stk. 1, og artikel 139, stk. 2, i EPK.

3. Without prejudice to Article 138(3) of the EPC, if the grounds for revocation affect the patent only in part, the patent shall be limited by a correspon‐ ding amendment of the claims and revoked in part.

3. Hvis ugyldigkendelsesgrundene kun berører patentet delvis, begrænses patentet ved en tilsva‐ rende ændring af patentkravene og kendes delvis ugyldigt, jf. dog artikel 138, stk. 3, i EPK.

4. To the extent that a patent has been revoked it shall be deemed not to have had, from the outset, the effects specified in Articles 64 and 67 of the EPC.

4. I det omfang, et patent er blevet kendt ugyl‐ digt, anses de retsvirkninger, der er fastsat i med‐ før af artikel 64 og 67 i EPK, for ikke at være ind‐ trådt.

5. Where the Court, in a final decision, revokes a patent, either entirely or partly, it shall send a copy of the decision to the European Patent Office and, with respect to a European patent, to the national patent office of any Contracting Member State con‐ cerned.

5. Hvis domstolen ved en endelig retsafgørelse kender et patent helt eller delvis ugyldigt, sender den en kopi af afgørelsen til Den Europæiske Pa‐ tentmyndighed og for så vidt angår et europæisk patent til enhver berørt kontraherende medlems‐ stats nationale patentmyndighed.

Article 66 Artikel 66

Powers of the Court concerning decisions of the European Patent Office

Domstolens beføjelser vedrørende Den Europæ‐ iske Patentmyndigheds beslutninger

1. In actions brought under Article 32(1)(i), the Court may exercise any power entrusted on the European Patent Office in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012, including the rectification of the Register for unitary patent pro‐ tection.

1. Ved søgsmål anlagt efter artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i), kan domstolen handle inden for rammerne af den kompetence, der tilkommer Den Europæiske Patentmyndighed i henhold til artikel 9 i forord‐ ning (EU) nr. 1257/2012, herunder berigtige regis‐ tret for enhedspatentbeskyttelse.

2. In actions brought under Article 32(1)(i) the parties shall, by way of derogation from Article 69, bear their own costs.

2. Ved søgsmål anlagt efter artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i), bærer parterne uanset artikel 69 deres egne om‐ kostninger.

Article 67 Artikel 67

Power to order the communication of informa‐ tion

Beføjelse til at kræve fremlæggelse af oplysnin‐ ger

1. The Court may, in response to a justified and proportionate request of the applicant and in accor‐ dance with the Rules of Procedure, order an infrin‐ ger to inform the applicant of:

1. Domstolen kan som svar på en velbegrundet og forholdsmæssigt afpasset begæring fra sagsøger og i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet på‐ lægge en patentkrænker at give sagsøger oplysnin‐ ger om:

a) the origin and distribution channels of the in‐ fringing products or processes;

a) oprindelsen af og distributionskanalerne for de omtvistede produkter eller fremgangsmåder

b) the quantities produced, manufactured, delive‐ red, received or ordered, as well as the price obtained for the infringing products; and

b) de producerede, fremstillede, leverede, mod‐ tagne eller bestilte mængder og om den pris, der er opnået for de omtvistede produkter, og

c) the identity of any third person involved in the production or distribution of the infringing pro‐ ducts or in the use of the infringing process.

c) identiteten på enhver tredjemand, der er ind‐ blandet i fremstillingen eller distributionen af de omtvistede produkter eller i anvendelsen af den omtvistede fremgangsmåde.

2. The Court may, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, also order any third party who:

2. Domstolen kan i overensstemmelse med pro‐ cesreglementet endvidere pålægge enhver tredje‐ mand, som:

a) was found in the possession of the infringing products on a commercial scale or to be using an infringing process on a commercial scale;

a) er fundet i besiddelse af de omtvistede produk‐ ter i kommerciel målestok eller er fundet i færd med at anvende en omtvistet fremgangs‐ måde i kommerciel målestok

b) was found to be providing on a commercial scale services used in infringing activities; or

b) er fundet i færd med i kommerciel målestok at yde tjenester, der anvendes i de omtvistede ak‐ tiviteter, eller

c) was indicated by the person referred to in points (a) or (b) as being involved in the pro‐ duction, manufacture or distribution of the in‐ fringing products or processes or in the provi‐ sion of the services,

c) er blevet identificeret af den i litra a) eller b) omhandlede person som indblandet i produk‐ tion, fremstilling eller distribution af sådanne omtvistede produkter eller fremgangsmåder el‐ ler i levering af sådanne tjenesteydelser,

to provide the applicant with the information refer‐ red to in paragraph 1.

at give sagsøger de oplysninger, der er omhandlet i stk. 1.

Article 68 Artikel 68

Award of damages Tilkendelse af erstatning

1. The Court shall, at the request of the injured party, order the infringer who knowingly, or with reasonable grounds to know, engaged in a patent in‐ fringing activity, to pay the injured party damages appropriate to the harm actually suffered by that party as a result of the infringement.

1. Domstolen skal på begæring af den forurettede part pålægge krænkeren, der vidste eller med rime‐ lighed burde vide, at hans aktiviteter medførte en patentkrænkelse, at betale den forurettede en er‐ statning, der står i rimeligt forhold til det tab, den‐ ne har lidt som følge af krænkelsen.

2. The injured party shall, to the extent possible, be placed in the position it would have been in if no infringement had taken place. The infringer shall not benefit from the infringement. However, dama‐ ges shall not be punitive.

2. Den forurettede part skal så vidt muligt stilles, som hvis krænkelsen ikke havde fundet sted. Krænkeren skal fralægge sig sin berigelse. Erstat‐ ningen har dog ikke karakter af straf.

3. When the Court sets the damages: 3. Når domstolen fastsætter erstatningen: a) it shall take into account all appropriate

aspects, such as the negative economic conse‐ quences, including lost profits, which the inju‐ red party has suffered, any unfair profits made by the infringer and, in appropriate cases, ele‐ ments other than economic factors, such as the moral prejudice caused to the injured party by the infringement; or

a) skal den tage hensyn til alle relevante aspek‐ ter, såsom negative økonomiske konsekven‐ ser, herunder tabt fortjeneste, som den for‐ urettede part har lidt, krænkerens uberettige‐ de fortjeneste og, når det er hensigtsmæssigt, andre elementer end de økonomiske, f.eks. den ikke-økonomiske skade, den forurettede har lidt som følge af krænkelsen, eller

b) as an alternative to point (a), it may, in appro‐ priate cases, set the damages as a lump sum on the basis of elements such as at least the amount of the royalties or fees which would have been due if the infringer had requested authorisation to use the patent in question.

b) kan den, som et alternativ til litra a), når det er hensigtsmæssigt, fastsætte erstatningen til et fast beløb på grundlag af elementer, der som minimum svarer til størrelsen af de ge‐ byrer eller afgifter, som krænkeren skulle ha‐ ve betalt, hvis han havde anmodet om tilla‐ delse til at anvende det pågældende patent.

4. Where the infringer did not knowingly, or with reasonable grounds to know, engage in the infring‐ ing activity, the Court may order the recovery of profits or the payment of compensation.

4. I sager, hvor krænkeren har krænket patentet uden at vide det eller uden at have rimelig grund til at vide det, kan domstolen træffe beslutning om tilbagebetaling af et overskud eller om betaling af en kompensation.

Article 69 Artikel 69

Legal costs Sagsomkostninger

1. Reasonable and proportionate legal costs and other expenses incurred by the successful party shall, as a general rule, be borne by the unsuccess‐ ful party, unless equity requires otherwise, up to a ceiling set in accordance with the Rules of Procedu‐ re.

1. Rimelige og forholdsmæssigt afpassede sags‐ omkostninger og andre udgifter, som den part, der har vundet sagen, har afholdt, bæres som hovedre‐ gel af den part, der har tabt sagen, medmindre bil‐ lighedshensyn tilsiger andet, op til et loft, der er fastlagt i overensstemmelse med procesreglemen‐ tet.

2. Where a party succeeds only in part or in ex‐ ceptional circumstances, the Court may order that costs be apportioned equitably or that the parties bear their own costs.

2. Hvis en part kun har fået delvis medhold eller i undtagelsestilfælde, kan domstolen beslutte, at sagsomkostningerne skal fordeles ligeligt, eller at parterne skal bære egne omkostninger.

3. A party should bear any unnecessary costs it has caused the Court or another party.

3. En part bør bære de unødvendige omkostnin‐ ger, som den har forvoldt domstolen eller en anden part.

4. At the request of the defendant, the Court may order the applicant to provide adequate security for the legal costs and other expenses incurred by the defendant which the applicant may be liable to be‐ ar, in particular in the cases referred to in Articles 59 to 62.

4. Domstolen kan på begæring af sagsøgte eller rekvisitus pålægge sagsøger eller rekvirenten at stille passende sikkerhed for de sagsomkostninger og andre udgifter, som sagsøgte eller rekvisitus har afholdt, og som sagsøger eller rekvirenten kan bli‐ ve pålagt, navnlig i de i artikel 59-62 omhandlede tilfælde.

Article 70 Artikel 70

Court fees Retsafgifter

1. Parties to proceedings before the Court shall pay court fees.

1. Parter i sager ved domstolen skal betale retsaf‐ gifter.

2. Court fees shall be paid in advance, unless the Rules of Procedure provide otherwise. Any party which has not paid a prescribed court fee may be excluded from further participation in the proceed‐ ings.

2. Retsafgifterne betales forud, medmindre andet er fastsat i procesreglementet. En part, der ikke har betalt en fastsat retsafgift, kan udelukkes fra yder‐ ligere deltagelse i sagen.

Article 71 Artikel 71

Legal aid Retshjælp

1. A party who is a natural person and who is unable to meet the costs of the proceedings, either wholly or in part, may at any time apply for legal aid. The conditions for granting of legal aid shall be laid down in the Rules of Procedure.

1. Er en part, der er en fysisk person, helt eller delvis ude af stand til at betale de omkostninger, der er forbundet med sagen, kan den pågældende til enhver tid ansøge om retshjælp. Betingelserne for bevilling af retshjælp fastsættes i procesregle‐ mentet.

2. The Court shall decide whether legal aid sho‐ uld be granted in full or in part, or whether it should be refused, in accordance with the Rules of Proce‐ dure.

2. Domstolen beslutter, om der skal bevilges helt eller delvis retshjælp, eller om dette skal afslås, i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

3. On a proposal from the Court, the Administra‐ tive Committee shall set the level of legal aid and the rules on bearing the costs thereof.

3. På forslag af domstolen fastsætter Det Admi‐ nistrative Udvalg niveauet for retshjælp og regler‐ ne for afholdelse af omkostningerne herved.

Article 72 Artikel 72

Period of limitation Forældelse

Without prejudice to Article 24(2) and (3), actions relating to all forms of financial compensation may not be brought more than five years after the date on which the applicant became aware, or had reas‐ onable grounds to become aware, of the last fact ju‐ stifying the action.

Med forbehold af artikel 24, stk. 2 og 3, kan søgsmål om alle former for finansiel kompensation ikke anlægges mere end fem år efter den dato, hvor sagsøger blev opmærksom eller havde rimeli‐ ge grunde til at blive opmærksom på det sidste for‐ hold, der ligger til grund for søgsmålet.

CHAPTER V KAPITEL V

Appeals Appel

Article 73 Artikel 73

Appeal Appel

1. An appeal against a decision of the Court of First Instance may be brought before the Court of Appeal by any party which has been unsuccessful, in whole or in part, in its submissions, within two months of the date of the notification of the deci‐ sion.

1. Der kan iværksættes appel til Appeldomstolen af en afgørelse truffet af Førsteinstansdomstolen af enhver part, som helt eller delvis ikke har fået medhold, inden to måneder efter tidspunktet for forkyndelsen af afgørelsen.

2. An appeal against an order of the Court of First Instance may be brought before the Court of Ap‐ peal by any party which has been unsuccessful, in whole or in part, in its submissions:

2. Der kan iværksættes appel til Appeldomstolen af en kendelse afsagt af Førsteinstansdomstolen af enhver part, som helt eller delvis ikke har fået medhold:

a) for the orders referred to in Articles 49(5), 59 to 62 and 67 within 15 calendar days of the notification of the order to the applicant;

a) for kendelser omhandlet i artikel 49, stk. 5, artikel 59-62 og 67 senest 15 kalenderdage efter forkyndelsen af kendelsen for sagsøger eller rekvirenten

b) for other orders than the orders referred to in point (a):

b) for andre kendelser end kendelserne omhand‐ let i litra a):

i) together with the appeal against the deci‐ sion, or

i) sammen med appellen af afgørelsen, el‐ ler

ii) where the Court grants leave to appeal, within 15 days of the notification of the Court᾽s decision to that effect.

ii) når domstolen giver tilladelse til appel, senest 15 kalenderdage efter forkyndel‐ sen af domstolens afgørelse herom.

3. The appeal against a decision or an order of the Court of First Instance may be based on points of law and matters of fact.

3. Appel af en afgørelse truffet eller en kendelse afsagt af Førsteinstansdomstolen kan støttes på retsspørgsmål og spørgsmål vedrørende sagens faktiske omstændigheder.

4. New facts and new evidence may only be intro‐ duced in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and where the submission thereof by the party con‐ cerned could not reasonably have been expected during proceedings before the Court of First Instan‐ ce.

4. Der kan kun fremlægges nye faktiske omstæn‐ digheder og nye beviser i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet, hvis den pågældende part ikke med rimelighed kunne forventes at have fremført dem under forhandlingerne ved Førsteinstans‐ domstolen.

Article 74 Artikel 74

Effects of an appeal Appellens retsvirkninger

1. An appeal shall not have suspensive effect un‐ less the Court of Appeal decides otherwise at the motivated request of one of the parties. The Rules of Procedure shall guarantee that such a decision is taken without delay.

1. En appel har ikke opsættende virkning, med‐ mindre Appeldomstolen beslutter andet efter be‐ grundet begæring fra en af parterne. Procesregle‐ mentet skal sikre, at en sådan beslutning træffes straks.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, an appeal against a decision on actions or counterclaims for revocati‐ on and on actions based on Article 32(1)(i) shall al‐ ways have suspensive effect.

2. Uanset stk. 1 har en appel af en afgørelse i søgsmål om ugyldigkendelse eller modkrav om ugyldighed og søgsmål på grundlag af artikel 32, stk. 1, litra i), altid opsættende virkning.

3. An appeal against an order referred to in Artic‐ les 49(5), 59 to 62 or 67 shall not prevent the conti‐ nuation of the main proceedings. However, the Court of First Instance shall not give a decision in the main proceedings before the decision of the Court of Appeal concerning an appealed order has been given.

3. Appel af en kendelse omhandlet i artikel 49, stk. 5, artikel 59-62 eller 67 er ikke til hinder for fortsættelse af hovedsagen. Førsteinstansdomsto‐ len må dog ikke træffe endelig afgørelse i hoved‐ sagen, før Appeldomstolen har truffet afgørelse om en appelleret kendelse.

Article 75 Artikel 75

Decision on appeal and referral back Afgørelse ved appel og hjemvisning

1. If an appeal pursuant to Article 73 is well-foun‐ ded, the Court of Appeal shall revoke the decision of the Court of First Instance and give a final deci‐ sion. The Court of Appeal may in exceptional cases and in accordance with the Rules of Procedure refer the case back to the Court of First Instance for deci‐ sion.

1. Hvis en appel i henhold til artikel 73 er be‐ grundet, ophæver Appeldomstolen Førsteinstans‐ domstolens afgørelse og træffer en endelig afgørel‐ se. Appeldomstolen kan i undtagelsestilfælde og i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet hjemvi‐ se sagen til Førsteinstansdomstolen til afgørelse.

2. Where a case is referred back to the Court of First Instance pursuant to paragraph 1, the Court of First Instance shall be bound by the decision of the Court of Appeal on points of law.

2. I tilfælde af hjemvisning til Førsteinstans‐ domstolen i henhold til stk. 1 er Førsteinstans‐ domstolen bundet af de afgørelser om retsspørgs‐ mål, der er indeholdt i Appeldomstolens afgørelse.

CHAPTER VI KAPITEL VI

Decisions Retsafgørelser

Article 76 Artikel 76

Basis for decisions and right to be heard Grundlaget for retsafgørelser og retten til kon‐ tradiktion

1. The Court shall decide in accordance with the requests submitted by the parties and shall not award more than is requested.

1. Domstolen træffer afgørelse i overensstem‐ melse med parternes anmodninger og tilkender ik‐ ke mere, end der er anmodet om.

2. Decisions on the merits may only be based on grounds, facts and evidence, which were submitted by the parties or introduced into the procedure by an order of the Court and on which the parties have had an opportunity to present their comments.

2. Afgørelser om sagens realitet kan kun støttes på de grunde, faktiske omstændigheder og beviser, som parterne har fremført, eller som er indført i proceduren ved kendelse truffet af domstolen, og som parterne har haft lejlighed til at udtale sig om.

3. The Court shall evaluate evidence freely and independently.

3. Domstolen vurderer bevismateriale frit og uaf‐ hængigt.

Article 77 Artikel 77

Formal requirements Formkrav

1. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be reas‐ oned and shall be given in writing in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

1. Domstolens afgørelser og kendelser skal be‐ grundes og meddeles skriftligt i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

2. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be deli‐ vered in the language of proceedings.

2. Domstolens afgørelser og kendelser afsiges på processproget.

Article 78 Artikel 78

Decisions of the Court and dissenting opinions Domstolens afgørelser og dissens

1. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be tak‐ en by a majority of the panel, in accordance with the Statute. In case of equal votes, the vote of the presiding judge shall prevail.

1. Domstolens afgørelser træffes og dens kendel‐ ser afsiges af et flertal i panelet i overensstemmel‐ se med statutten. Ved stemmelighed gør retsfor‐ mandens stemme udslaget.

2. In exceptional circumstances, any judge of the panel may express a dissenting opinion separately from the decision of the Court.

2. I undtagelsestilfælde kan en dommer i panelet give udtryk for dissens separat fra domstolens af‐ gørelse.

Article 79 Artikel 79

Settlement Forlig

The parties may, at any time in the course of pro‐ ceedings, conclude their case by way of settlement, which shall be confirmed by a decision of the Court. A patent may not be revoked or limited by way of settlement.

Parterne kan på et hvilket som helst tidspunkt under sagsbehandlingen afslutte sagen ved et for‐ lig, der stadfæstes ved en afgørelse truffet af dom‐ stolen. Et patent kan ikke kendes ugyldigt eller be‐ grænses ved et forlig.

Article 80 Artikel 80

Publication of decisions Offentliggørelse af afgørelser

The Court may order, at the request of the appli‐ cant and at the expense of the infringer, appropriate measures for the dissemination of information con‐ cerning the Court᾽s decision, including displaying the decision and publishing it in full or in part in public media.

Domstolen kan på begæring af sagsøger eller re‐ kvirenten og for krænkerens regning træffe passen‐ de foranstaltninger til formidling af oplysninger om domstolens afgørelse, herunder fremvisning af afgørelsen og helt eller delvis offentliggørelse af den i offentlige medier.

Article 81 Artikel 81

Rehearing Genoptagelse af sagen

1. A request for rehearing after a final decision of the Court may exceptionally be granted by the Court of Appeal in the following circumstances:

1. Appeldomstolen kan undtagelsesvis efterkom‐ me en begæring om genoptagelse af sagen efter domstolens endelige afgørelse i følgende tilfælde:

a) on discovery of a fact by the party requesting the rehearing, which is of such a nature as to be a decisive factor and which, when the deci‐ sion was given, was unknown to the party re‐ questing the rehearing; such request may only be granted on the basis of an act which was held, by a final decision of a national court, to constitute a criminal offence; or

a) hvis den part, der ønsker sagen genoptaget, opdager en faktisk omstændighed, der er af en sådan karakter, at den er en afgørende fak‐ tor, og som, da afgørelsen blev truffet, ikke var kendt af den part, der ønsker sagen gen‐ optaget; en sådan begæring kan kun efter‐ kommes på grundlag af en handling, som ifølge en national domstols endelige retsafgø‐ relse udgør en strafbar handling, eller

b) in the event of a fundamental procedural de‐ fect, in particular when a defendant who did not appear before the Court was not served with the document initiating the proceedings or an equivalent document in sufficient time

b) i tilfælde af en grundlæggende rettergangs‐ fejl, navnlig når det indledende processkrift eller et tilsvarende dokument ikke blev for‐ kyndt for en sagsøgt, som ikke mødte for domstolen, i så god tid og på en sådan måde,

and in such a way as to enable him to arrange for the defence.

at den pågældende har kunnet varetage sine interesser under sagen.

2. A request for a rehearing shall be filed within 10 years of the date of the decision but not later than two months from the date of the discovery of the new fact or of the procedural defect. Such re‐ quest shall not have suspensive effect unless the Court of Appeal decides otherwise.

2. Begæring om genoptagelse af sagen skal ind‐ gives senest ti år efter tidspunktet for afgørelsen, dog ikke senere end to måneder efter tidspunktet for opdagelsen af den nye omstændighed eller ret‐ tergangsfejlen. En sådan begæring har ikke opsæt‐ tende virkning, medmindre Appeldomstolen træf‐ fer anden afgørelse.

3. If the request for a rehearing is well-founded, the Court of Appeal shall set aside, in whole or in part, the decision under review and re-open the pro‐ ceedings for a new trial and decision, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

3. Hvis begæringen om genoptagelse af sagen er begrundet, skal Appeldomstolen helt eller delvis tilsidesætte den påklagede afgørelse og genoptage sagen med henblik på fornyet sagsbehandling og afgørelse i overensstemmelse med procesregle‐ mentet.

4. Persons using patents which are the subject- matter of a decision under review and who act in good faith should be allowed to continue using such patents.

4. Personer, som udnytter patenter, der er gen‐ stand for en påklaget afgørelse, og som handler i god tro, er berettiget til at fortsætte udnyttelsen af patenterne.

Article 82 Artikel 82

Enforcement of decisions and orders Fuldbyrdelse af afgørelser og kendelser

1. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be en‐ forceable in any Contracting Member State. An or‐ der for the enforcement of a decision shall be ap‐ pended to the decision by the Court.

1. Domstolens afgørelser og kendelser kan fuld‐ byrdes i enhver kontraherende medlemsstat. Fuld‐ byrdelsespåtegning påføres domstolens afgørelse.

2. Where appropriate, the enforcement of a deci‐ sion may be subject to the provision of security or an equivalent assurance to ensure compensation for any damage suffered, in particular in the case of in‐ junctions.

2. Når det er relevant, kan fuldbyrdelsen af en af‐ gørelse gøres betinget af sikkerhedsstillelse eller tilsvarende garanti som kompensation for eventu‐ elt lidt skade, navnlig i tilfælde af påbud eller for‐ bud.

3. Without prejudice to this Agreement and the Statute, enforcement procedures shall be governed by the law of the Contracting Member State where the enforcement takes place. Any decision of the Court shall be enforced under the same conditions as a decision given in the Contracting Member Sta‐ te where the enforcement takes place.

3. Fuldbyrdelsesproceduren er underlagt loven i den kontraherende medlemsstat, hvor fuldbyrdel‐ sen finder sted, jf. dog denne aftale og statutten. En afgørelse truffet af domstolen fuldbyrdes på samme vilkår som en afgørelse truffet i den kon‐ traherende medlemsstat, hvor fuldbyrdelsen finder sted.

4. If a party does not comply with the terms of an order of the Court, that party may be sanctioned with a recurring penalty payment payable to the Court. The individual penalty shall be proportionate to the importance of the order to be enforced and shall be without prejudice to the party᾽s right to claim damages or security.

4. Hvis en part ikke overholder betingelserne i en kendelse afsagt af domstolen, kan parten pålægges tvangsbøder, der betales til domstolen. Den enkelte bøde skal stå i rimeligt forhold til betydningen af den kendelse, der skal fuldbyrdes, og indskrænker ikke den pågældende parts ret til at kræve erstat‐ ning eller sikkerhedsstillelse.

PART IV DEL IV

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS OVERGANGSBESTEMMELSER

Article 83 Artikel 83

Transitional regime Overgangsordning

1. During a transitional period of seven years af‐ ter the date of entry into force of this Agreement, an action for infringement or for revocation of a European patent or an action for infringement or for declaration of invalidity of a supplementary protec‐ tion certificate issued for a product protected by a European patent may still be brought before natio‐ nal courts or other competent national authorities.

1. I en overgangsperiode på syv år efter denne aftales ikrafttræden kan der stadig anlægges søgs‐ mål om krænkelse eller ugyldigkendelse af et eu‐ ropæisk patent eller søgsmål om krænkelse eller erklæring af ugyldighed af et supplerende beskyt‐ telsescertifikat udstedt for et produkt, der er be‐ skyttet af et europæisk patent, ved nationale dom‐ stole eller andre kompetente nationale myndighe‐ der.

2. An action pending before a national court at the end of the transitional period shall not be affected by the expiry of this period.

2. Søgsmål, der verserer ved en national domstol ved udløbet af overgangsperioden, berøres ikke af denne periodes udløb.

3. Unless an action has already been brought be‐ fore the Court, a proprietor of or an applicant for a European patent granted or applied for prior to the end of the transitional period under paragraph 1 and, where applicable, paragraph 5, as well as a holder of a supplementary protection certificate is‐ sued for a product protected by a European patent, shall have the possibility to opt out from the exclu‐ sive competence of the Court. To this end they shall notify their opt-out to the Registry by the latest one month before expiry of the transitional period. The opt-out shall take effect upon its entry into the re‐ gister.

3. Medmindre der allerede er anlagt søgsmål ved domstolen, har en indehaver af eller en ansøger om et europæisk patent, der er meddelt, eller hvorom der er ansøgt før udløbet af overgangsperioden i stk. 1 og, hvor det er relevant, stk. 5, samt indeha‐ veren af et supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat ud‐ stedt for et produkt, der er beskyttet af et europæ‐ isk patent, mulighed for at fravælge domstolens enekompetence. Med henblik herpå skal de under‐ rette Registreringskontoret om deres fravalg senest en måned før overgangsperiodens udløb. Fravalget får virkning fra dets indførelse i registeret.

4. Unless an action has already been brought be‐ fore a national court, proprietors of or applicants for European patents or holders of supplementary

4. Medmindre et søgsmål allerede er anlagt ved en national domstol, har indehavere af eller ansø‐ gere om europæiske patenter og indehavere af et

protection certificates issued for a product protected by a European patent who made use of the opt-out in accordance with paragraph 3 shall be entitled to withdraw their opt-out at any moment. In this event they shall notify the Registry accordingly. The withdrawal of the opt-out shall take effect upon its entry into the register.

supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat udstedt for et produkt, der er beskyttet af et europæisk patent, der har benyttet den i stk. 3 omhandlede mulighed for fravalg, ret til at trække dette fravalg tilbage på et hvilket som helst tidspunkt. De skal i så fald un‐ derrette Registreringskontoret herom. Tilbagetræk‐ ningen af fravalget får virkning fra dens indførelse i registeret.

5. Five years after the entry into force of this Agreement, the Administrative Committee shall carry out a broad consultation with the users of the patent system and a survey on the number of Euro‐ pean patents and supplementary protection certifi‐ cates issued for products protected by European pa‐ tents with respect to which actions for infringement or for revocation or declaration of invalidity are still brought before the national courts pursuant to paragraph 1, the reasons for this and the implicati‐ ons thereof. On the basis of this consultation and an opinion of the Court, the Administrative Committee may decide to prolong the transitional period by up to seven years.

5. Fem år efter denne aftales ikrafttræden gen‐ nemfører Det Administrative Udvalg en bred hø‐ ring af brugerne af patentsystemet og en undersø‐ gelse af antallet af europæiske patenter og supple‐ rende beskyttelsescertifikater udstedt for produk‐ ter, der er beskyttet af europæiske patenter, for hvilke der stadig anlægges søgsmål om krænkelse eller ugyldigkendelse eller erklæring af ugyldighed ved de nationale domstole i henhold til stk. 1, samt af årsagerne hertil og følgerne deraf. På grundlag af denne høring og en udtalelse fra domstolen kan Det Administrative Udvalg beslutte at forlænge overgangsperioden med op til syv år.

PART V DEL V

FINAL PROVISIONS AFSLUTTENDE BESTEMMELSER

Article 84 Artikel 84

Signature, ratification and accession Undertegnelse, ratifikation og tiltrædelse

1. This Agreement shall be open for signature by any Member State on 19 February 2013.

1. Denne aftale er åben for undertegnelse for en‐ hver medlemsstat den 19. februar 2013.

2. This Agreement shall be subject to ratification in accordance with the respective constitutional re‐ quirements of the Member States. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the General Se‐ cretariat of the Council of the European Union (he‐ reinafter referred to as »the depositary«).

2. Denne aftale ratificeres i overensstemmelse med medlemsstaternes respektive forfatningsmæs‐ sige bestemmelser. Ratifikationsinstrumenterne de‐ poneres hos Generalsekretariatet for Rådet for Den Europæiske Union (i det følgende benævnt »depo‐ sitaren«).

3. Each Member State having signed this Agree‐ ment shall notify the European Commission of its ratification of the Agreement at the time of the de‐ posit of its ratification instrument pursuant to Ar‐ ticle 18(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012.

3. Hver medlemsstat, som har undertegnet denne aftale, underretter Europa-Kommissionen om sin ratifikation af aftalen på det tidspunkt, hvor den deponerer sit ratifikationsinstrument, i henhold til artikel 18, stk. 3, i forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012.

4. This Agreement shall be open to accession by any Member State. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the depositary.

4. Denne aftale er åben for tiltrædelse af enhver medlemsstat. Tiltrædelsesinstrumenterne depone‐ res hos depositaren.

Article 85 Artikel 85

Functions of the depositary Depositarens funktioner

1. The depositary shall draw up certified true co‐ pies of this Agreement and shall transmit them to the governments of all signatory or acceding Mem‐ ber States.

1. Depositaren udarbejder bekræftede genparter af denne aftale og sender dem til alle signatarmed‐ lemsstaters eller tiltrædende medlemsstaters rege‐ ringer.

2. The depositary shall notify the governments of the signatory or acceding Member States of:

2. Depositaren underretter signatarmedlemsstater‐ nes eller de tiltrædende medlemsstaters regeringer om:

a) any signature; a) enhver undertegnelse b) the deposit of any instrument of ratification or

accession; b) deponeringen af ethvert ratifikations- eller til‐

trædelsesinstrument c) the date of entry into force of this Agreement. c) datoen for denne aftales ikrafttræden.

3. The depositary shall register this Agreement with the Secretariat of the United Nations.

3. Depositaren lader denne aftale registrere hos De Forenede Nationers sekretariat.

Article 86 Artikel 86

Duration of the Agreement Aftalens varighed

This Agreement shall be of unlimited duration. Denne aftale er indgået for ubegrænset tid.

Article 87 Artikel 87

Revision Revision

1. Either seven years after the entry into force of this Agreement or once 2.000 infringement cases have been decided by the Court, whichever is the later point in time, and if necessary at regular inter‐ vals thereafter, a broad consultation with the users of the patent system shall be carried out by the Ad‐ ministrative Committee on the functioning, effi‐ ciency and cost-effectiveness of the Court and on the trust and confidence of users of the patent sy‐ stem in the quality of the Court᾽s decisions. On the basis of this consultation and an opinion of the Court, the Administrative Committee may decide to

1. Enten syv år efter denne aftales ikrafttræden, eller når domstolen har truffet afgørelse i 2.000 pa‐ tentkrænkelsessager, alt efter hvilket tidspunkt der indtræffer sidst, og om nødvendigt med regelmæs‐ sige mellemrum derefter, gennemfører Det Admi‐ nistrative Udvalg en bred høring af patentsyste‐ mets brugere om domstolens funktion, effektivitet og omkostningseffektivitet og om patentsystemets brugeres tillid og tiltro til kvaliteten af domstolens afgørelser. På grundlag af denne høring og en ud‐ talelse fra Domstolen kan Det Administrative Ud‐

revise this Agreement with a view to improving the functioning of the Court.

valg beslutte at revidere denne aftale med henblik på at forbedre domstolens funktion.

2. The Administrative Committee may amend this Agreement to bring it into line with an international treaty relating to patents or Union law.

2. Det Administrative Udvalg kan ændre denne aftale for at bringe den i overensstemmelse med en international traktat om patenter eller EU-retten.

3. A decision of the Administrative Committee taken on the basis of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not take effect if a Contracting Member State declares within twelve months of the date of the decision, on the basis of its relevant internal decision-making procedures, that it does not wish to be bound by the decision. In this case, a Review Conference of the Contracting Member States shall be convened.

3. En beslutning, som Det Administrative Ud‐ valg har truffet på grundlag af stk. 1 og 2, får ikke retsvirkning, hvis en kontraherende medlemsstat inden tolv måneder efter datoen for beslutningen under henvisning til sine relevante nationale be‐ slutningsprocedurer erklærer, at den ikke ønsker at være bundet af beslutningen. I så fald indkaldes de kontraherende medlemsstater til en revisionskonfe‐ rence.

Article 88 Artikel 88

Languages of the Agreement Aftalens sprog

1. This Agreement is drawn up in a single original in the English, French and German languages, each text being equally authentic.

1. Denne aftale er udarbejdet i ét eksemplar på engelsk, fransk og tysk, idet hver af disse tekster har samme gyldighed.

2. The texts of this Agreement drawn up in offi‐ cial languages of Contracting Member States other than those specified in paragraph 1 shall, if they ha‐ ve been approved by the Administrative Commit‐ tee, be considered as official texts. In the event of divergences between the various texts, the texts re‐ ferred to in paragraph 1 shall prevail.

2. Teksten til denne aftale udarbejdet på andre af de kontraherende medlemsstaters officielle sprog end dem, der er angivet i stk. 1, betragtes som offi‐ cielle tekster, hvis Det Administrative Udvalg har godkendt dem. I tilfælde af uoverensstemmelser mellem de forskellige tekster har de tekster, der er nævnt i stk. 1, forrang.

Article 89 Artikel 89

Entry into force Ikrafttræden

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on 1 Ja‐ nuary 2014 or on the first day of the fourth month after the deposit of the thirteenth instrument of rati‐ fication or accession in accordance with Article 84, including the three Member States in which the hig‐ hest number of European patents had effect in the year preceding the year in which the signature of the Agreement takes place or on the first day of the fourth month after the date of entry into force of the amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012

1. Denne aftale træder i kraft den 1. januar 2014 eller den første dag i den fjerde måned efter depo‐ neringen af det trettende ratifikations- eller tiltræ‐ delsesinstrument i overensstemmelse med artikel 84, deriblandt de tre medlemsstater, hvor det stør‐ ste antal europæiske patenter havde retsvirkning i det år, der går forud for det år, hvor undertegnelsen af aftalen finder sted, eller den første dag i den fjerde måned efter ikrafttrædelsesdatoen for æn‐ dringerne til forordning (EU) nr. 1215/2012 om

concerning its relationship with this Agreement, whichever is the latest.

dens forbindelse med denne aftale, idet den seneste dato er gældende.

2. Any ratification or accession after the entry in‐ to force of this Agreement shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month after the deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession.

2. Enhver ratifikation eller tiltrædelse efter denne aftales ikrafttræden har virkning fra den første dag i den fjerde måned efter deponeringen af ratifikati‐ ons- eller tiltrædelsesinstrumentet.

In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Agreement,

Til bekræftelse heraf har undertegnede befuld‐ mægtigede underskrevet denne aftale.

Done at Brussels on 19 February 2013 in English, French and German, all three texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union.

Udfærdiget i Bruxelles den 19. februar 2013 på engelsk, fransk og tysk, idet alle tre tekster har samme gyldighed, i ét eksemplar, der deponeres i arkiverne i Generalsekretariatet for Rådet for Den Europæiske Union.

ANNEX I BILAG I

STATUTE OF THE UNIFIED PATENT COURT

STATUTTEN FOR DEN FÆLLES PATENT‐ DOMSTOL

Article 1 Artikel 1

Scope of the Statute Statuttens anvendelsesområde

This Statute contains institutional and financial arrangements for the Unified Patent Court as esta‐ blished under Article 1 of the Agreement.

Denne statut indeholder institutionelle og finan‐ sielle ordninger for den fælles patentdomstol som oprettet ved artikel 1 i aftalen.

CHAPTER I KAPITEL I

JUDGES DOMMERE

Article 2 Artikel 2

Eligibility of judges Betingelser for udnævnelse til dommer

1. Any person who is a national of a Contracting Member State and fulfils the conditions set out in Article 15 of the Agreement and in this Statute may be appointed as a judge.

1. Enhver, som er statsborger i en kontraherende medlemsstat og opfylder betingelserne i artikel 15 i aftalen og i denne statut, kan udnævnes til dom‐ mer.

2. Judges shall have a good command of at least one official language of the European Patent Offi‐ ce.

2. Dommerne skal have gode kundskaber i mindst et af Den Europæiske Patentmyndigheds officielle sprog.

3. Experience with patent litigation which has to be proven for the appointment pursuant to Article 15(1) of the Agreement may be acquired by trai‐ ning under Article 11(4)(a) of this Statute.

3. Erfaring med patentretssager, som skal doku‐ menteres i forbindelse med udnævnelsen i henhold til artikel 15, stk. 1, i aftalen, kan opnås ved ud‐ dannelse i henhold til artikel 11, stk. 4, litra a), i denne statut.

Article 3 Artikel 3

Appointment of judges Udnævnelse af dommere

1. Judges shall be appointed pursuant to the pro‐ cedure set out in Article 16 of the Agreement.

1. Dommerne udnævnes efter proceduren i arti‐ kel 16 i aftalen.

2. Ledige stillinger skal bekendtgøres offentligt med angivelse af de relevante udnævnelseskriteri‐ er, jf. artikel 2. Det Rådgivende Udvalg afgiver ud‐ talelse om kandidaternes egnethed til at udøve em‐

duties of a judge of the Court. The opinion shall comprise a list of most suitable candidates. The list shall contain at least twice as many candidates as there are vacancies. Where necessary, the Advisory Committee may recommend that, prior to the deci‐ sion on the appointment, a candidate judge receive training in patent litigation pursuant to Article 11(4) (a).

bedet som dommer ved domstolen. Udtalelsen skal indeholde en liste over de bedst egnede kandidater. Listen skal indeholde mindst dobbelt så mange kandidater, som der er ledige stillinger. Om nød‐ vendigt kan Det Rådgivende Udvalg anbefale, at en dommerkandidat får uddannelse i patentretssa‐ ger, jf. artikel 11, stk. 4, litra a), før afgørelsen om udnævnelse træffes.

3. When appointing judges, the Administrative Committee shall ensure the best legal and technical expertise and a balanced composition of the Court on as broad a geographical basis as possible among nationals of the Contracting Member States.

3. Ved udnævnelsen af dommerne sikrer Det Ad‐ ministrative Udvalg den bedste juridiske og tekni‐ ske ekspertise og en afbalanceret sammensætning af domstolen på et så bredt geografisk grundlag som muligt blandt statsborgere fra de kontraheren‐ de medlemsstater.

4. The Administrative Committee shall appoint as many judges as are needed for the proper functio‐ ning of the Court. The Administrative Committee shall initially appoint the necessary number of jud‐ ges for setting up at least one panel in each of the divisions of the Court of First Instance and at least two panels in the Court of Appeal.

4. Det Administrative Udvalg udnævner så man‐ ge dommere, som det er nødvendigt, for at dom‐ stolen kan fungere tilfredsstillende. Det Admini‐ strative Udvalg udnævner først det nødvendige an‐ tal dommere til oprettelse af mindst ét panel i hver af Førsteinstansdomstolens afdelinger og mindst to paneler i Appeldomstolen.

5. The decision of the Administrative Committee appointing full-time or part-time legally qualified judges and full-time technically qualified judges shall state the instance of the Court and/or the divi‐ sion of the Court of First Instance for which each judge is appointed and the field(s) of technology for which a technically qualified judge is appointed.

5. Det Administrative Udvalgs afgørelse om ud‐ nævnelse af juridiske fuldtids- eller deltidsdomme‐ re og tekniske fuldtidsdommere skal angive den domstol og/eller den afdeling af Førsteinstans‐ domstolen, ved hvilken hver dommer udnævnes, og det eller de tekniske områder, for hvilke en tek‐ nisk dommer udnævnes.

6. Part-time technically qualified judges shall be appointed as judges of the Court and shall be inclu‐ ded in the Pool of Judges on the basis of their spe‐ cific qualifications and experience. The appoint‐ ment of these judges to the Court shall ensure that all fields of technology are covered.

6. Tekniske deltidsdommere udnævnes til dom‐ mere ved domstolen og indgår i dommerpuljen på grundlag af deres specifikke kvalifikationer og er‐ faring. Udnævnelsen af disse dommere ved dom‐ stolen skal sikre, at alle tekniske områder er dæk‐ ket.

Article 4 Artikel 4

Judges᾽ term of office Dommernes embedsperiode

1. Judges shall be appointed for a term of six years, beginning on the date laid down in the instru‐ ment of appointment. They may be re-appointed.

1. Dommerne udnævnes for en periode på seks år regnet fra den dato, der er fastsat i udnævnelses‐ dokumentet. De kan genudnævnes.

2. In the absence of any provision regarding the date, the term shall begin on the date of the instru‐ ment of appointment.

2. Er der ikke fastsat nogen dato, løber perioden fra udnævnelsesdokumentets dato.

Article 5 Artikel 5

Appointment of the members of the Advisory Committee

Udnævnelse af medlemmerne af Det Rådgiven‐ de Udvalg

1. Each Contracting Member State shall propose a member of the Advisory Committee who fulfils the requirements set out in Article 14(2) of the Agree‐ ment.

1. Hver kontraherende medlemsstat foreslår et medlem af Det Rådgivende Udvalg, der opfylder de betingelser, som er fastsat i artikel 14, stk. 2, i aftalen.

2. The members of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed by the Administrative Committee ac‐ ting by common accord.

2. Medlemmerne af Det Rådgivende Udvalg ud‐ nævnes af Det Administrative Udvalg ved fælles overenskomst.

Article 6 Artikel 6

Oath Edsaflæggelse

Before taking up their duties judges shall, in open court, take an oath to perform their duties impartial‐ ly and conscientiously and to preserve the secrecy of the deliberations of the Court.

Dommerne skal, inden de påbegynder deres em‐ bedsvirksomhed, i et offentligt retsmøde aflægge ed på at ville udføre deres hverv med fuldstændig upartiskhed og samvittighedsfuldhed og holde domstolens rådslagninger og afstemninger hemme‐ lige.

Article 7 Artikel 7

Impartiality Upartiskhed

1. Immediately after taking their oath, judges shall sign a declaration by which they solemnly un‐ dertake that, both during and after their term of of‐ fice, they shall respect the obligations arising there‐ from, in particular the duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits.

1. Umiddelbart efter at have aflagt ed underskri‐ ver dommerne en erklæring, hvorved de højtideligt forsikrer, at de både under deres embedsvirksom‐ hed og efter dennes ophør vil overholde de forplig‐ telser, der følger med deres hverv, i særdeleshed pligten til, efter at deres embedsvirksomhed er op‐ hørt, at udvise hæderlighed og tilbageholdenhed med hensyn til overtagelse af visse hverv eller op‐ nåelse af visse fordele.

2. Judges may not take part in the proceedings of a case in which they:

2. Dommerne kan ikke deltage i behandlingen af en sag, hvori de:

a) have taken part as adviser; a) har optrådt som rådgiver

b) have been a party or have acted for one of the parties;

b) har været part eller har optrådt som befuld‐ mægtiget for en af parterne

c) have been called upon to pronounce as a mem‐ ber of a court, tribunal, board of appeal, arbitra‐ tion or mediation panel, a commission of inqui‐ ry or in any other capacity;

c) har måttet udtale sig som medlem af en dom‐ stol, en ret, et appelkammer, et voldgifts- eller mæglingspanel, en undersøgelseskommission eller i anden egenskab

d) have a personal or financial interest in the case or in relation to one of the parties; or

d) har en personlig eller økonomisk interesse i sagen eller i relation til en af parterne eller

e) are related to one of the parties or the represen‐ tatives of the parties by family ties.

e) har familiemæssig tilknytning til en af parterne eller parternes repræsentanter.

3. If, for some special reason, a judge considers that he or she should not take part in the judgement or examination of a particular case, that judge shall so inform the President of the Court of Appeal ac‐ cordingly or, in the case of judges of the Court of First Instance, the President of the Court of First In‐ stance. If, for some special reason, the President of the Court of Appeal or, in the case of judges of the Court of First Instance, the President of the Court of First Instance considers that a judge should not sit or make submissions in a particular case, the President of the Court of Appeal or the President of the Court of First Instance shall justify this in wri‐ ting and notify the judge concerned accordingly.

3. Mener en dommer, at vedkommende af særli‐ ge grunde ikke kan deltage i afgørelsen eller i un‐ dersøgelsen af en bestemt sag, underretter vedkommende Appeldomstolens præsident eller for så vidt angår dommere ved Førsteinstansdoms‐ tolen Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident herom. Finder Appeldomstolens præsident eller for så vidt angår dommere ved Førsteinstansdomstolen Før‐ steinstansdomstolens præsident, at en dommer af særlige grunde ikke bør sidde med eller fremkom‐ me med forslag til afgørelser i en bestemt sag, re‐ degør Appeldomstolens præsident eller Førstein‐ stansdomstolens præsident herfor skriftligt og gør den pågældende dommer opmærksom herpå.

4. Any party to an action may object to a judge taking part in the proceedings on any of the grounds listed in paragraph 2 or where the judge is suspected, with good reason, of partiality.

4. Enhver part i et søgsmål kan gøre indsigelse mod, at en dommer deltager i behandlingen af en sag, af en af de grunde, der er anført i stk. 2, eller hvis dommerens upartiskhed med god grund kan drages i tvivl.

5. Any difficulty arising as to the application of this Article shall be settled by decision of the Presi‐ dium, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. The judge concerned shall be heard but shall not take part in the deliberations.

5. Opstår der vanskeligheder angående anvendel‐ sen af denne artikel, træffer Præsidiet afgørelse i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet. Den pågældende dommer høres, men medvirker ikke ved afgørelsen.

Article 8 Artikel 8

Immunity of judges Dommernes immunitet

1. The judges shall be immune from legal pro‐ ceedings. After they have ceased to hold office, they shall continue to enjoy immunity in respect of acts performed by them in relation to their official capacity.

1. Dommerne er fritaget for retsforfølgning. For så vidt angår deres embedshandlinger nyder de denne immunitet også efter ophøret af deres em‐ bedsvirksomhed.

2. The Presidium may waive the immunity. 2. Præsidiet kan ophæve immuniteten.

3. Where immunity has been waived and criminal proceedings are instituted against a judge, that jud‐ ge shall be tried, in any of the Contracting Member States, only by the court competent to judge the members of the highest national judiciary.

3. Indledes der efter immunitetens ophævelse strafferetlig forfølgning mod en dommer, kan den‐ ne i enhver af de kontraherende medlemsstater kun stilles for den ret, der er kompetent til at behandle sager mod medlemmerne af landets øverste dom‐ stol.

4. The Protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union shall apply to the judges of the Court, without prejudice to the provisions rela‐ ting to immunity from legal proceedings of judges which are set out in this Statute.

4. Protokollen vedrørende Den Europæiske Uni‐ ons privilegier og immuniteter finder anvendelse på domstolens dommere, dog med forbehold af be‐ stemmelserne i denne statut vedrørende dommer‐ nes fritagelse for retsforfølgning.

Article 9 Artikel 9

End of duties Embedets ophør

1. Apart from replacement after expiry of a judge᾽s term pursuant to Article 4, or death, the du‐ ties of a judge shall end when that judge resigns.

1. Bortset fra nybesættelser efter udløbet af en dommers embedsperiode i henhold til artikel 4 samt dødsfald ophører en dommers embedsvirk‐ somhed ved den pågældendes fratræden.

2. Where a judge resigns, the letter of resignation shall be addressed to the President of the Court of Appeal or, in the case of judges of the Court of First Instance, the President of the Court of First In‐ stance for transmission to the Chairman of the Ad‐ ministrative Committee.

2. Ved en dommers fratræden indgives afsked‐ sansøgningen til Appeldomstolens præsident eller for så vidt angår dommere ved Førsteinstansdoms‐ tolen Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident, der vide‐ resender den til formanden for Det Administrative Udvalg.

3. Save where Article 10 applies, a judge shall continue to hold office until that judge’s successor takes up his or her duties.

3. Bortset fra tilfælde, hvor artikel 10 finder an‐ vendelse, fungerer enhver dommer i embedet, ind‐ til en efterfølger er tiltrådt.

4. Any vacancy shall by filled by the appointment of a new judge for the remainder of his or her predecessor᾽s term.

4. Hvis en stilling bliver ledig, skal der udnæv‐ nes en ny dommer for resten af forgængerens em‐ bedsperiode.

Article 10 Artikel 10

Removal from office Afskedigelse

1. A judge may be deprived of his or her office or of other benefits only if the Presidium decides that that judge no longer fulfils the requisite conditions

1. En dommer kan hverken afskediges eller frata‐ ges andre fordele, medmindre Præsidiet træffer af‐ gørelse om, at han eller hun ikke længere opfylder

or meets the obligations arising from his or her offi‐ ce. The judge concerned shall be heard but shall not take part in the deliberations.

de nødvendige forudsætninger eller lever op til de forpligtelser, der følger med embedet. Den pågæl‐ dende dommer høres, men medvirker ikke ved af‐ gørelsen.

2. The Registrar of the Court shall communicate this decision to the Chairman of the Administrative Committee.

2. Domstolens justitssekretær underretter for‐ manden for Det Administrative Udvalg om denne afgørelse.

3. In the case of a decision depriving a judge of his or her office, a vacancy shall arise upon that no‐ tification.

3. Såfremt en dommer ved en sådan afgørelse af‐ skediges fra sit embede, bliver embedet ledigt ved denne underretning.

Article 11 Artikel 11

Training Uddannelse

1. Appropriate and regular training of judges shall be provided for within the training framework set up under Article 19 of the Agreement. The Presidi‐ um shall adopt Training Regulations ensuring the implementation and overall coherence of the trai‐ ning framework.

1. Der sørges for relevant og regelmæssig uddan‐ nelse af dommerne inden for rammerne af den ud‐ dannelsesordning, der er oprettet ved artikel 19 i aftalen. Præsidiet vedtager uddannelsesbestemmel‐ ser, der sikrer gennemførelse af og overordnet sammenhæng i uddannelsesordningen.

2. The training framework shall provide a plat‐ form for the exchange of expertise and a forum for discussion, in particular by:

2. Uddannelsesordningen udgør en platform for udveksling af ekspertise og et forum for diskus‐ sion, navnlig ved:

a) organising courses, conferences, seminars, workshops and symposia;

a) tilrettelæggelse af kurser, konferencer, semina‐ rer, workshops og symposier

b) cooperating with international organisations and education institutes in the field of intellec‐ tual property; and

b) samarbejde med internationale organisationer og uddannelsesinstitutioner inden for intellek‐ tuel ejendomsret og

c) promoting and supporting further vocational training.

c) fremme af og støtte til faglig videreuddannel‐ se.

3. An annual work programme and training gui‐ delines shall be drawn up, which shall include for each judge an annual training plan identifying that judge᾽s main training needs in accordance with the Training Regulations.

3. Der udarbejdes et årligt arbejdsprogram og ud‐ dannelsesmæssige retningslinjer, som for hver dommer omfatter en årlig uddannelsesplan, der kortlægger den pågældende dommers vigtigste ud‐ dannelsesbehov i overensstemmelse med uddan‐ nelsesbestemmelserne.

4. The training framework shall in addition: 4. Uddannelsesordningen skal endvidere: a) ensure appropriate training for candidate-jud‐

ges and newly appointed judges of the Court; a) sikre relevant uddannelse for dommerkandida‐

ter og nyudnævnte dommere ved domstolen

b) support projects aimed at facilitating cooperati‐ on between representatives, patent attorneys and the Court.

b) støtte projekter med sigte på fremme af samar‐ bejdet mellem repræsentanter, patentrådgivere og domstolen.

Article 12 Artikel 12

Remuneration Vederlag

The Administrative Committee shall set the remu‐ neration of the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of First Instance, the judges, the Registrar, the Deputy-Registrar and the staff.

Det Administrative Udvalg fastsætter vederlaget for Appeldomstolens præsident, Førsteinstans‐ domstolens præsident, dommerne, justitssekretæ‐ ren, den assisterende justitssekretær og personalet.

CHAPTER II KAPITEL II

ORGANISATIONAL PROVISIONS ORGANISATORISKE BESTEMMELSER

SECTION 1 AFDELING 1

Common provisions Fælles bestemmelser

Article 13 Artikel 13

President of the Court of Appeal Appeldomstolens præsident

1. The President of the Court of Appeal shall be elected by all judges of the Court of Appeal for a term of three years, from among their number. The President of the Court of Appeal may be re-elected twice.

1. Appeldomstolens præsident vælges af alle dommere ved Appeldomstolen af deres midte for en periode på tre år. Appeldomstolens præsident kan genvælges to gange.

2. The elections of the President of the Court of Appeal shall be by secret ballot. A judge obtaining an absolute majority shall be elected. If no judge obtains an absolute majority, a second ballot shall be held and the judge obtaining the most votes shall be elected.

2. Valg af Appeldomstolens præsident sker ved hemmelig afstemning. Den dommer, der opnår ab‐ solut flertal, er valgt. Opnår ingen af dommerne absolut flertal, foretages der en ny afstemning, og den dommer, der herved opnår det største antal stemmer, er valgt.

3. The President of the Court of Appeal shall di‐ rect the judicial activities and the administration of the Court of Appeal and chair the Court of Appeal sitting as a full Court.

3. Appeldomstolens præsident leder Appeldoms‐ tolens judicielle virksomhed og dens administra‐ tion og er retsformand for Appeldomstolens rets‐ møder i plenum.

4. If the office of the President of the Court of Appeal falls vacant before the date of expiry of his or her term, a successor shall be elected for the re‐ mainder thereof.

4. Fratræder Appeldomstolens præsident inden embedsperiodens udløb, vælges der en anden i dennes sted for den resterende del af perioden.

Article 14 Artikel 14

President of the Court of First Instance Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident

1. The President of the Court of First Instance shall be elected by all judges of the Court of First Instance who are full-time judges, for a term of three years, from among their number. The Presi‐ dent of the Court of First Instance may be re-elec‐ ted twice.

1. Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident vælges af alle fuldtidsdommere ved Førsteinstansdomstolen af deres midte for en periode på tre år. Førstein‐ stansdomstolens præsident kan genvælges to gan‐ ge.

2. The first President of the Court of First Instan‐ ce shall be a national of the Contracting Member State hosting the seat of the central division.

2. Førsteinstansdomstolens første præsident er statsborger i den kontraherende medlemsstat, på hvis område den centrale afdeling har sit hjemsted.

3. The President of the Court of First Instance shall direct the judicial activities and the admini‐ stration of the Court of First Instance.

3. Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident leder Før‐ steinstansdomstolens judicielle virksomhed og dens administration.

4. Article 13(2) and (4), shall by analogy apply to the President of the Court of First Instance.

4. Artikel 13, stk. 2 og 4, finder tilsvarende an‐ vendelse på Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident.

Article 15 Artikel 15

Presidium Præsidium

1. The Presidium shall be composed of the Presi‐ dent of the Court of Appeal, who shall act as chair‐ person, the President of the Court of First Instance, two judges of the Court of Appeal elected from among their number, three judges of the Court of First Instance who are full-time judges of the Court elected from among their number, and the Registrar as a non-voting member.

1. Præsidiet består af Appeldomstolens præsi‐ dent, der fungerer som formand, Førsteinstans‐ domstolens præsident, to dommere fra Appel‐ domstolen, som er valgt af deres midte, tre fuld‐ tidsdommere fra Førsteinstansdomstolen, som er valgt af deres midte, og justitssekretæren, der ikke har stemmeret.

2. The Presidium shall exercise its duties in ac‐ cordance with this Statute. It may, without prejudi‐ ce to its own responsibility, delegate certain tasks to one of its members.

2. Præsidiet udøver sit hverv i overensstemmelse med denne statut. Det kan med forbehold af sit eget ansvar uddelegere visse opgaver til et af sine medlemmer.

3. The Presidium shall be responsible for the ma‐ nagement of the Court and shall in particular:

3. Præsidiet har ansvaret for domstolens ledelse og skal navnlig:

a) draw up proposals for the amendment of the Rules of Procedure in accordance with Article 41 of the Agreement and proposals regarding the Financial Regulations of the Court;

a) udarbejde forslag til ændring af domstolens procesreglement i overensstemmelse med ar‐ tikel 41 i aftalen og forslag vedrørende dom‐ stolens finansforordning

b) prepare the annual budget, the annual accounts and the annual report of the Court and submit them to the Budget Committee;

b) udarbejde domstolens årlige budget, årsregn‐ skaber og årsberetning og forelægge disse for Budgetudvalget

c) establish the guidelines for the training pro‐ gramme for judges and supervise the imple‐ mentation thereof;

c) fastlægge retningslinjerne for dommernes ud‐ dannelsesordning og overvåge gennemførel‐ sen heraf

d) take decisions on the appointment and remo‐ val of the Registrar and the Deputy-Registrar;

d) træffe afgørelser om udnævnelse og afskedi‐ gelse af justitssekretæren og den assisterende justitssekretær

e) lay down the rules governing the Registry in‐ cluding the sub-registries;

e) fastsætte reglerne for Registreringskontoret, herunder underregistreringskontorerne

f) give an opinion in accordance with Article 83(5) of the Agreement.

f) afgive en udtalelse i overensstemmelse med artikel 83, stk. 5, i aftalen.

4. Decisions of the Presidium referred to in Artic‐ les 7, 8, 10 and 22 shall be taken without the parti‐ cipation of the Registrar.

4. Når Præsidiet træffer afgørelse i henhold til ar‐ tikel 7, 8, 10 og 22, sker det uden deltagelse af ju‐ stitssekretæren.

5. The Presidium can take valid decisions only when all members are present or duly represented. Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the votes.

5. Præsidiet kan kun træffe gyldige afgørelser, når alle medlemmer er til stede eller behørigt re‐ præsenteret. Afgørelser træffes med et flertal af stemmerne.

Article 16 Artikel 16

Staff Personale

1. The officials and other servants of the Court shall have the task of assisting the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of First Instance, the judges and the Registrar. They shall be responsible to the Registrar, under the authority of the President of the Court of Appeal and the Presi‐ dent of the Court of First Instance.

1. Domstolens tjenestemænd og øvrige ansatte har til opgave at bistå Appeldomstolens præsident, Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident, dommerne og justitssekretæren. De er undergivet justitssekretæ‐ ren under Appeldomstolens præsidents og Første‐ instansdomstolens præsidents tilsyn.

2. The Administrative Committee shall establish the Staff Regulations of officials and other servants of the Court.

2. Det Administrative Udvalg fastsætter vedtæg‐ ten for tjenestemænd og øvrige ansatte ved dom‐ stolen.

Article 17 Artikel 17

Judicial vacations Retsferier

1. After consulting the Presidium, the President of the Court of Appeal shall establish the duration of judicial vacations and the rules on observing offi‐ cial holidays.

1. Appeldomstolens præsident fastsætter retsferi‐ ernes længde og reglerne for overholdelse af offi‐ cielle helligdage efter konsultationer med Præsidi‐ et.

2. During the period of judicial vacations, the functions of the President of the Court of Appeal and of the President of the Court of First Instance may be exercised by any judge invited by the re‐ spective President to that effect. In cases of urgen‐ cy, the President of the Court of Appeal may conve‐ ne the judges.

2. Under retsferier kan hvervet som præsident for Appeldomstolen og præsident for Førsteinstans‐ domstolen udøves af enhver dommer, som den re‐ spektive præsident anmoder herom. Appeldomsto‐ lens præsident kan i hastetilfælde indkalde dom‐ merne.

3. The President of the Court of Appeal or the President of the Court of First Instance may, in pro‐ per circumstances, grant leave of absence to respec‐ tively judges of the Court of Appeal or judges of the Court of First Instance.

3. Når der foreligger rimelig grund hertil, kan Appeldomstolens præsident og Førsteinstansdoms‐ tolens præsident bevilge henholdsvis dommere ved Appeldomstolen og dommere ved Førsteinstans‐ domstolen tjenestefrihed.

SECTION 2 AFDELING 2

The Court of First Instance Førsteinstansdomstolen

Article 18 Artikel 18

Setting up and discontinuance of a local or re‐ gional division

Oprettelse og nedlæggelse af en lokal eller re‐ gional afdeling

1. A request from one or more Contracting Mem‐ ber States for the setting up of a local or regional division shall be addressed to the Chairman of the Administrative Committee. It shall indicate the seat of the local or regional division.

1. En anmodning fra en eller flere kontraherende medlemsstater om, at der oprettes en lokal eller re‐ gional afdeling, indgives til formanden for Det Ad‐ ministrative Udvalg. Den skal angive den lokale eller regionale afdelings hjemsted.

2. The decision of the Administrative Committee setting up a local or regional division shall indicate the number of judges for the division concerned and shall be public.

2. Det Administrative Udvalgs afgørelse om op‐ rettelse af en lokal eller regional afdeling angiver antallet af dommere ved den pågældende afdeling og er offentligt tilgængelig.

3. The Administrative Committee shall decide to discontinue a local or regional division at the re‐ quest of the Contracting Member State hosting the local division or the Contracting Member States participating in the regional division. The decision to discontinue a local or regional division shall state the date after which no new cases may be brought before the division and the date on which the divi‐ sion will cease to exist.

3. Det Administrative Udvalg træffer afgørelse om at nedlægge en lokal eller regional afdeling på anmodning af enten den kontraherende medlems‐ stat, der er vært for den lokale afdeling, eller de kontraherende medlemsstater, der deltager i den regionale afdeling. Afgørelsen om at nedlægge en lokal eller regional afdeling skal angive den dato, hvorefter der ikke kan indbringes nye sager for af‐ delingen, og den dato, hvor afdelingen ophører med at eksistere.

4. As from the date on which a local or regional division ceases to exist, the judges assigned to that local or regional division shall be assigned to the central division, and cases still pending before that local or regional division together with the sub-re‐ gistry and all of its documentation shall be transfer‐ red to the central division.

4. Fra og med den dato, hvor en lokal eller regio‐ nal afdeling ophører med at eksistere, tilknyttes dommerne ved den pågældende lokale eller regio‐ nale afdeling den centrale afdeling, og verserende sager for den pågældende lokale eller regionale af‐ deling samt underregistreringskontoret og al dets dokumentation overføres til den centrale afdeling.

Article 19 Artikel 19

Panels Paneler

1. The allocation of judges and the assignment of cases within a division to its panels shall be gover‐ ned by the Rules of Procedure. One judge of the pa‐ nel shall be designated as the presiding judge, in ac‐ cordance with the Rules of Procedure.

1. I procesreglementet fastsættes regler om allo‐ keringen af dommere og om sagsfordelingen inden for en afdelings paneler. En af panelets dommere udpeges som retsformand i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

2. The panel may delegate, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, certain functions to one or mo‐ re of its judges.

2. Panelerne kan i overensstemmelse med pro‐ cesreglementet uddelegere visse funktioner til en eller flere af deres dommere.

3. A standing judge for each division to hear ur‐ gent cases may be designated in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

3. Der kan i overensstemmelse med procesregle‐ mentet udpeges en fast dommer for hver afdeling til at behandle sager af hastende karakter.

4. In cases where a single judge in accordance with Article 8(7) of the Agreement, or a standing judge, in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Ar‐ ticle, hears a case that judge shall carry out all func‐ tions of a panel.

4. I tilfælde, hvor en enkelt dommer i overens‐ stemmelse med artikel 8, stk. 7, i aftalen eller en fast dommer i overensstemmelse med stk. 3 i den‐ ne artikel behandler sagen, varetager den pågæl‐ dende dommer alle panelets funktioner.

5. One judge of the panel shall act as Rapporteur, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

5. En af panelets dommere fungerer som referent i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet.

Article 20 Artikel 20

Pool of Judges Dommerpulje

1. A list with the names of the judges included in the Pool of Judges shall be drawn up by the Regi‐ strar. In relation to each judge, the list shall at least indicate the linguistic skills, the field of technology and experience of, as well as the cases previously handled by, that judge.

1. Justitssekretæren udarbejder en liste med nav‐ nene på dommerne i dommerpuljen. For hver dom‐ mer skal listen mindst indeholde oplysninger om sproglige færdigheder, det dækkede tekniske om‐ råde, erfaringer og tidligere behandlede sager.

2. A request addressed to the President of the Court of First Instance to assign a judge from the Pool of Judges shall indicate, in particular, the sub‐ ject-matter of the case, the official language of the European Patent Office used by the judges of the panel, the language of the proceedings and the field of technology required.

2. Det skal af en anmodning til Førsteinstans‐ domstolens præsident om at tilknytte en dommer fra dommerpuljen navnlig fremgå, hvilken gen‐ stand sagen omhandler, hvilket af Den Europæiske Patentmyndigheds officielle sprog panelets dom‐ mere benytter, hvilket sprog der er processproget, og hvilket teknisk område der er behov for.

SECTION 3 AFDELING 3

The Court of Appeal Appeldomstolen

Article 21 Artikel 21

Panels Paneler

1. The allocation of judges and the assignment of cases to panels shall be governed by the Rules of Procedure. One judge of the panel shall be appoin‐ ted as the presiding judge, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

1. I procesreglementet fastsættes regler om allo‐ keringen af dommere til og sagsfordelingen mel‐ lem panelerne. En af panelets dommere fungerer som retsformand i overensstemmelse med proces‐ reglementet.

2. When a case is of exceptional importance, and in particular when the decision may affect the unity and consistency of the case law of the Court, the Court of Appeal may decide, on the basis of a pro‐ posal from the presiding judge, to refer the case to the full Court.

2. Når en sag er af særlig vigtighed, og især når en afgørelse kan påvirke den ensartede anvendelse af eller sammenhængen i domstolens retspraksis, kan Appeldomstolen på grundlag af et forslag fra retsformanden beslutte at henvise sagen til dom‐ stolens plenum.

3. The panel may delegate, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, certain functions to one or mo‐ re of its judges.

3. Panelerne kan i overensstemmelse med pro‐ cesreglementet uddelegere visse funktioner til en eller flere af deres dommere.

4. One judge of the panel shall act as Rapporteur, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

4. En af panelets dommere fungerer som refere‐ rende dommer i overensstemmelse med procesreg‐ lementet.

SECTION 4 AFDELING 4

The Registry Registreringskontoret

Article 22 Artikel 22

Appointment and removal from office of the Re‐ gistrar

Udnævnelse og afskedigelse af justitssekretæren

1. The Presidium shall appoint the Registrar of the Court for a term of six years. The Registrar may be re-appointed.

1. Præsidiet udnævner domstolens justitssekretær for en periode på seks år. Justitssekretæren kan genudnævnes.

2. Two weeks before the date fixed for appointing the Registrar, the President of the Court of Appeal shall inform the Presidium of the applications which have been submitted for the post.

2. To uger før den fastsatte dato for udnævnelse af justitssekretæren underretter Appeldomstolens præsident Præsidiet om, hvilke ansøgninger der er indkommet til stillingen.

3. Before taking up his or her duties, the Registrar shall take oath before the Presidium to perform the duties of the Registrar impartially and conscientio‐ usly.

3. Før sin tiltrædelse aflægger justitssekretæren ed for Præsidiet på at ville varetage hvervet som justitssekretær med upartiskhed og samvittigheds‐ fuldhed.

4. The Registrar may be removed from office on‐ ly if the Registrar no longer meets the obligations arising from his or her office. The Presidium shall take its decision after having heard the Registrar.

4. Justitssekretæren kan kun afskediges, hvis han eller hun ikke længere lever op til de forpligtelser, der følger med embedet. Præsidiet træffer afgørel‐ se efter høring af justitssekretæren.

5. If the office of the Registrar falls vacant before the date of expiry of the term thereof, the Presidium shall appoint a new Registrar for a term of six years.

5. Fratræder justitssekretæren inden embedspe‐ riodens udløb, udnævner Præsidiet en ny justits‐ sekretær for en periode på seks år.

6. If the Registrar is absent or prevented from at‐ tending or where such post is vacant, the President of the Court of Appeal after having consulted the Presidium shall designate a member of the staff of the Court to carry out the duties of the Registrar.

6. Har justitssekretæren forfald, eller er embedet ubesat, udpeger Appeldomstolens præsident efter at have konsulteret Præsidiet et medlem af dom‐ stolens personale til at varetage hvervet som ju‐ stitssekretær.

Article 23 Artikel 23

Duties of the Registrar Justitssekretærens pligter

1. The Registrar shall assist the Court, the Presi‐ dent of the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of First Instance and the judges in the perfor‐ mance of their functions. The Registrar shall be re‐ sponsible for the organisation and activities of the Registry under the authority of the President of the Court of Appeal.

1. Justitssekretæren bistår domstolen, Appel‐ domstolens præsident, Førsteinstansdomstolens præsident og dommerne med udøvelsen af deres hverv. Justitssekretæren har ansvaret for Registre‐ ringskontorets organisation og aktiviteter under Appeldomstolens præsidents tilsyn.

2. The Registrar shall in particular be responsible for:

2. Justitssekretæren har især ansvaret for:

a) keeping the register which shall include records of all cases before the Court;

a) at føre registret, som omfatter fortegnelser over alle sager ved domstolen

b) keeping and administering lists drawn up in ac‐ cordance with Articles 18, 48(3) and 57(2) of the Agreement;

b) at føre og administrere de lister, der udarbej‐ des i overensstemmelse med artikel 18, artikel 48, stk. 3, og artikel 57, stk. 2, i aftalen

c) keeping and publishing a list of notifications and withdrawals of opt-outs in accordance with Article 83 of the Agreement;

c) at føre og offentliggøre en liste over underret‐ ninger om og tilbagetrækninger af fravalg i overensstemmelse med artikel 83 i aftalen

d) publishing the decisions of the Court, subject to the protection of confidential information;

d) at offentliggøre domstolens afgørelser, under forudsætning af at fortrolige oplysninger be‐ skyttes

e) publishing annual reports with statistical data; and

e) at offentliggøre årsrapporter med statistiske data og

f) ensuring that the information on opt-outs in ac‐ cordance with Article 83 of the Agreement is notified to the European Patent Office.

f) at sikre, at oplysningerne om fravalg i over‐ ensstemmelse med artikel 83 i aftalen medde‐ les til Den Europæiske Patentmyndighed.

Article 24 Artikel 24

Keeping of the register Registerføring

1. Detailed rules for keeping the register of the Court shall be prescribed in the Rules governing the Registry, adopted by the Presidium.

1. Der fastsættes detaljerede bestemmelser om føringen af domstolens register i reglerne for Regi‐ streringskontoret, som vedtages af Præsidiet.

2. The rules on access to documents of the Regi‐ stry shall be provided for in the Rules of Procedure.

2. Bestemmelserne om aktindsigt i Registrerings‐ kontorets dokumenter fastsættes i procesreglemen‐ tet.

Article 25 Artikel 25

Sub-registries and Deputy-Registrar Underregistreringskontorer og assisterende ju‐ stitssekretær

1. A Deputy-Registrar shall be appointed for a term of six years by the Presidium. The Deputy-Re‐ gistrar may be re-appointed.

1. Præsidiet udnævner en assisterende justitssek‐ retær for en periode på seks år. Den assisterende justitssekretær kan genudnævnes.

2. Article 22(2) to (6) shall apply by analogy. 2. Artikel 22, stk. 2-6, finder tilsvarende anven‐ delse.

3. The Deputy-Registrar shall be responsible for the organisation and activities of sub-registries under the authority of the Registrar and the Presi‐ dent of the Court of First Instance. The duties of the Deputy-Registrar shall in particular include:

3. Den assisterende justitssekretær har ansvaret for underregistreringskontorernes organisation og aktiviteter under justitssekretærens og Førstein‐ stansdomstolens præsidents tilsyn. Den assisteren‐ de justitssekretær skal især:

a) keeping records of all cases before the Court of First Instance;

a) føre fortegnelser over alle sager ved Førstein‐ stansdomstolen

b) notifying every case before the Court of First Instance to the Registry.

b) underrette Registreringskontoret om hver en‐ kelt sag ved Førsteinstansdomstolen.

4. The Deputy-Registrar shall also provide admi‐ nistrative and secretarial assistance to the divisions of the Court of First Instance.

4. Den assisterende justitssekretær skal også yde Førsteinstansdomstolens afdelinger administrativ bistand og sekretariatsbistand.

CHAPTER III KAPITEL III

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS FINANSIELLE BESTEMMELSER

Article 26 Artikel 26

Budget Budget

1. The budget shall be adopted by the Budget Committee on a proposal from the Presidium. It shall be drawn up in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles laid down in the Fi‐ nancial Regulations, established in accordance with Article 33.

1. Budgettet vedtages af Budgetudvalget på for‐ slag af Præsidiet. Det udarbejdes i overensstem‐ melse med de almindeligt anerkendte regnskabs‐ principper, der er fastlagt i den finansforordning, som udarbejdes i overensstemmelse med artikel 33.

2. Within the budget, the Presidium may, in ac‐ cordance with the Financial Regulations, transfer funds between the various headings or subheadings.

2. Præsidiet kan inden for budgettet og i overens‐ stemmelse med finansforordningen overføre mid‐ ler mellem de forskellige udgiftsområder og under‐ udgiftsområder.

3. The Registrar shall be responsible for the im‐ plementation of the budget in accordance with the Financial Regulations.

3. Justitssekretæren har ansvaret for at gennem‐ føre budgettet i overensstemmelse med finansfor‐ ordningen.

4. The Registrar shall annually make a statement on the accounts of the preceding financial year rela‐ ting to the implementation of the budget which shall be approved by the Presidium.

4. Justitssekretæren forelægger hvert år en over‐ sigt over regnskabet for det foregående regnskabs‐ år vedrørende budgettets gennemførelse, som skal godkendes af Præsidiet.

Article 27 Artikel 27

Authorisation for expenditure Bevilling af udgifter

1. The expenditure entered in the budget shall be authorised for the duration of one accounting peri‐ od unless the Financial Regulations provide other‐ wise.

1. De udgifter, der opføres på budgettet, bevilges for én regnskabsperiode, medmindre andet er fast‐ sat i finansforordningen.

2. In accordance with the Financial Regulations, any appropriations, other than those relating to staff

2. I overensstemmelse med finansforordningen kan bevillinger, som ikke er beregnet til dækning

costs, which are unexpended at the end of the ac‐ counting period may be carried forward, but not beyond the end of the following accounting period.

af personaleudgifter, og som ikke er udnyttede ved regnskabsperiodens udløb, overføres, men ikke ud over den efterfølgende regnskabsperiodes udløb.

3. Appropriations shall be set out under different headings according to type and purpose of the ex‐ penditure, and subdivided, to the extent necessary, in accordance with the Financial Regulations.

3. Bevillingerne fordeles på de forskellige ud‐ giftsområder efter udgifternes art og formål og op‐ deles yderligere i det omfang, det er nødvendigt, i overensstemmelse med finansforordningen.

Article 28 Artikel 28

Appropriations for unforeseeable expenditure Bevillinger til uforudsete udgifter

1. The budget of the Court may include appro‐ priations for unforeseeable expenditure.

1. Domstolens budget kan omfatte bevillinger til uforudsete udgifter.

2. The employment of these appropriations by the Court shall be subject to the prior approval of the Budget Committee.

2. Domstolens anvendelse af disse bevillinger skal godkendes af Budgetudvalget på forhånd.

Article 29 Artikel 29

Accounting period Regnskabsperiode

The accounting period shall commence on 1 Ja‐ nuary and end on 31 December.

Regnskabsperioden begynder den 1. januar og slutter den 31. december.

Article 30 Artikel 30

Preparation of the budget Forberedelse af budgettet

The Presidium shall submit the draft budget of the Court to the Budget Committee no later than the date prescribed in the Financial Regulations.

Præsidiet forelægger forslaget til domstolens budget for Budgetudvalget senest den dato, der er fastsat i finansforordningen.

Article 31 Artikel 31

Provisional budget Foreløbigt budget

1. If, at the beginning of the accounting period, the budget has not been adopted by the Budget Committee, expenditure may be effected on a monthly basis per heading or other division of the budget, in accordance with the Financial Regulati‐ ons, up to one-twelfth of the budget appropriations for the preceding accounting period, provided that the appropriations thus made available to the Presi‐

1. Såfremt Budgetudvalget ikke har vedtaget budgettet ved regnskabsperiodens begyndelse, kan der i overensstemmelse med finansforordningen for hver konto eller underkonto afholdes månedli‐ ge udgifter med indtil en tolvtedel af bevillingerne for den foregående regnskabsperiode, dog således at Præsidiet højst kan disponere over en tolvtedel af de bevillinger, der er opført i budgetforslaget.

dium do not exceed one-twelfth of those provided for in the draft budget.

2. The Budget Committee may, subject to the ob‐ servance of the other provisions laid down in para‐ graph 1, authorise expenditure in excess of one- twelfth of the budget appropriations for the prece‐ ding accounting period.

2. Budgetudvalget kan, forudsat at de øvrige be‐ stemmelser i stk. 1 overholdes, godkende udgifter, der overstiger en tolvtedel af budgetbevillingerne for den foregående regnskabsperiode.

Article 32 Artikel 32

Auditing of accounts Regnskabsrevision

1. The annual financial statements of the Court shall be examined by independent auditors. The auditors shall be appointed and if necessary dismis‐ sed by the Budget Committee.

1. Domstolens årsregnskab gennemgås af uaf‐ hængige revisorer. Revisorerne udnævnes af Bud‐ getudvalget, som også afskediger dem, om nød‐ vendigt.

2. The audit, which shall be based on professional auditing standards and shall take place, if necessa‐ ry, in situ, shall ascertain that the budget has been implemented in a lawful and proper manner and that the financial administration of the Court has been conducted in accordance with the principles of economy and sound financial management. The auditors shall draw up a report after the end of each accounting period containing a signed audit opini‐ on.

2. Revisionen, som skal være baseret på faglige revisionsstandarder og om nødvendigt finde sted in situ, skal sikre lovligheden og den formelle rigtig‐ hed af budgettets gennemførelse, og at domstolens finansielle forvaltning er i overensstemmelse med principperne om sparsommelighed og om forsvar‐ lig økonomisk forvaltning. Revisorerne udarbejder efter hver revisionsperiodes udløb en beretning, der indeholder en underskrevet revisionserklæring.

3. The Presidium shall submit to the Budget Committee the annual financial statements of the Court and the annual budget implementation state‐ ment for the preceding accounting period, together with the auditors᾽ report.

3. Præsidiet forelægger domstolens årsregnskab og den årlige oversigt over budgettets gennemfø‐ relse for den foregående regnskabsperiode for Budgetudvalget sammen med revisorernes beret‐ ning.

4. The Budget Committee shall approve the an‐ nual accounts together with the auditors᾽ report and shall discharge the Presidium in respect of the im‐ plementation of the budget.

4. Budgetudvalget godkender årsregnskaberne samt revisionsberetningen og meddeler Præsidiet decharge for gennemførelsen af budgettet.

Article 33 Artikel 33

Financial Regulations Finansforordning

1. The Financial Regulations shall be adopted by the Administrative Committee. They shall be amen‐

1. Finansforordningen vedtages af Det Admini‐ strative Udvalg. Den ændres af Det Administrative Udvalg på forslag af domstolen.

ded by the Administrative Committee on a proposal from the Court.

2. The Financial Regulations shall lay down in particular:

2. Finansforordningen fastlægger især:

a) arrangements relating to the establishment and implementation of the budget and for the ren‐ dering and auditing of accounts;

a) ordningerne vedrørende opstilling og gennem‐ førelse af budgettet samt aflæggelse og revi‐ sion af regnskaberne

b) the method and procedure whereby the pay‐ ments and contributions, including the initial financial contributions provided for in Article 37 of the Agreement are to be made available to the Court;

b) den metode og procedure, efter hvilken de be‐ talinger og bidrag, herunder de indledende fi‐ nansielle bidrag, der er nævnt i artikel 37 i af‐ talen, skal stilles til rådighed for domstolen

c) the rules concerning the responsibilities of au‐ thorising and accounting officers and the ar‐ rangements for their supervision; and

c) bestemmelserne om de anvisningsberettigedes og regnskabsførernes ansvar og de hertil høre‐ nde kontrolforanstaltninger og

d) the generally accepted accounting principles on which the budget and the annual financial statements are to be based.

d) de almindeligt anerkendte regnskabsprincip‐ per, som budgettet og årsregnskabet skal base‐ res på.

CHAPTER IV KAPITEL IV

PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS PROCEDUREBESTEMMELSER

Article 34 Artikel 34

Secrecy of deliberations Fortrolighed om rådslagninger og afstemninger

The deliberations of the Court shall be and shall remain secret.

Domstolens rådslagninger og afstemninger skal være og forblive fortrolige.

Article 35 Artikel 35

Decisions Afgørelser

1. When a panel sits in composition of an even number of judges, decisions of the Court shall be taken by a majority of the panel. In case of equal vote, the vote of the presiding judge shall prevail.

1. Når et panel er sammensat af et lige antal dommere, træffes domstolens afgørelser af et fler‐ tal af panelet. Ved stemmelighed gør retsforman‐ dens stemme udslaget.

2. In the event of one of the judges of a panel be‐ ing prevented from attending, a judge from another panel may be called upon to sit in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

2. Får en dommer i et panel forfald, kan en dom‐ mer fra et andet panel tilkaldes i henhold til pro‐ cesreglementet.

3. In cases where this Statute provides that the Court of Appeal shall take a decision sitting as a

3. I tilfælde, hvor denne statut fastsætter, at Ap‐ peldomstolen træffer afgørelse i plenum, er en så‐

full court, such decision shall be valid only if it is taken by at least 3/4 of the judges comprising the full court.

dan afgørelse kun gyldig, hvis den træffes af mindst 3/4 af de dommere, der udgør plenum.

4. Decisions of the Court shall contain the names of the judges deciding the case.

4. Domstolens afgørelser skal indeholde navnene på de dommere, der træffer afgørelse i sagen.

5. Decisions shall be signed by the judges deci‐ ding the case, by the Registrar for decisions of the Court of Appeal, and by the Deputy-Registrar for decisions of the Court of First Instance. They shall be read in open court.

5. Afgørelserne skal være underskrevet af de dommere, der træffer afgørelse i sagen, af justits‐ sekretæren for så vidt angår Appeldomstolens af‐ gørelser og af den assisterende justitssekretær for så vidt angår Førsteinstansdomstolens afgørelser. De afsiges i et offentligt retsmøde.

Article 36 Artikel 36

Dissenting opinions Dissens

A dissenting opinion expressed separately by a judge of a panel in accordance with Article 78 of the Agreement shall be reasoned, given in writing and shall be signed by the judge expressing this opinion.

Dissens, som en dommer i et panel giver udtryk for separat i overensstemmelse med artikel 78 i af‐ talen, skal være begrundet, foreligge skriftligt og være underskrevet af den dommer, der giver ud‐ tryk for denne opfattelse.

Article 37 Artikel 37

Decision by default Udeblivelsesafgørelse

1. At the request of a party to an action, a deci‐ sion by default may be given in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, where the other party, after having been served with a document instituting proceedings or with an equivalent document, fails to file written submissions in defence or fails to ap‐ pear at the oral hearing. An objection may be lod‐ ged against that decision within one month of it be‐ ing notified to the party against which the default decision has been given.

1. På begæring af en part i et søgsmål kan der af‐ siges en udeblivelsesafgørelse i overensstemmelse med procesreglementet, hvis modparten, der har fået forkyndt et indledende processkrift eller et til‐ svarende dokument, undlader at indgive svarskrift eller udebliver fra den mundtlige forhandling. In‐ den en måned efter forkyndelsen af afgørelsen i sagen kan den part, som udeblivelsesafgørelsen er afsagt overfor, fremsende indsigelse imod den.

2. The objection shall not have the effect of stay‐ ing enforcement of the decision by default unless the Court decides otherwise.

2. Medmindre Domstolen træffer anden bestem‐ melse, har en sådan indsigelse ikke opsættende virkning på fuldbyrdelsen af udeblivelsesafgørel‐ sen.

Article 38 Artikel 38

Questions referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union

Forelæggelse af spørgsmål for Den Europæiske Unions Domstol

1. The procedures established by the Court of Ju‐ stice of the European Union for referrals for preli‐ minary rulings within the European Union shall ap‐ ply.

1. De procedurer, som Den Europæiske Unions Domstol har etableret for anmodninger om præju‐ dicielle afgørelser inden for Den Europæiske Uni‐ on, gælder.

2. Whenever the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal has decided to refer to the Court of Justice of the European Union a question of inter‐ pretation of the Treaty on European Union or of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or a question on the validity or interpretation of acts of the institutions of the European Union, it shall stay its proceedings.

2. Når Førsteinstansdomstolen eller Appeldoms‐ tolen har besluttet at forelægge Den Europæiske Unions Domstol et spørgsmål om fortolkningen af traktaten om Den Europæiske Union eller af trak‐ taten om Den Europæiske Unions funktionsmåde eller et spørgsmål om gyldigheden eller fortolknin‐ gen af retsakter udstedt af Den Europæiske Unions institutioner, udsætter den sagen.

ANNEX II

DISTRIBUTION OF CASES WITHIN THE CENTRAL DIVISION15)

LONDON Section PARIS Seat MUNICH Section

President᾽s Office

(A) Human necessities (B) Performing operations, trans‐ porting

(F) Mechanical engineering, ligh‐ ting, heating, weapons, blasting

E) Fixed constructions

G) Physics

H) Electricity

BILAG II

SAGSFORDELINGEN I DEN CENTRALE AFDELING15)

Underafdelingen i LONDON Hjemstedet i PARIS Underafdelingen i MÜNCHEN

Præsidentens kontor

A) Menneskelige fornødenheder B) Arbejdsoperationer, transport F) Mekanik, belysning, opvarm‐ ning, våben, sprængning

C) Kemi, metallurgi D) Tekstiler, papir

E) Bygge- og anlægsteknik

G) Fysik

H) Elektricitet

1) Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2012 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection (OJ L 361, 31.12.2012, p. 1) including any subsequent amendments.

1) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning (EU) nr. 1257/2012 af 17. december 2012 om gennemførelse af et forstærket samarbejde om indførelse af enhedspatentbeskyttelse (EUT L 361 af 31.12.2012, s. 1) med senere ændringer.

2) Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (OJ L 351, 20.12.2012, p. 1) including any subsequent amendments.

2) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning (EU) nr. 1215/2012 af 12. december 2012 om retternes kompetence og om anerkendelse og fuldbyrdelse af retsafgørelser på det civil- og handelsretlige område (EUT L 351 af 20.12.2012, s. 1) med senere ændringer.

3) Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 concerning the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (OJ L 152, 16.6.2009, p. 1) including any subsequent amendments.

4) Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 1996 concerning the creation of a supplementary certificate for plant protection products (OJ L 198, 8.8.1996, p. 30) including any subsequent amendments.

3) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 469/2009 af 6. maj 2009 om det supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat for lægemidler (EUT L 152 af 16.6.2009, s. 1) med senere ændringer.

4) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 1610/96 af 23. juli 1996 om indførelse af et supplerende beskyttelsescertifikat for plantebeskyttelses‐ midler (EFT L 198 af 8.8.1996, s. 30) med senere ændringer.

5) Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I) (OJ L 177, 4.7.2008, p. 6) including any subsequent amendments.

5) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 593/2008 af 17. juni 2008 om lovvalgsregler for kontraktlige forpligtelser (Rom I) (EUT L 177 af 4.7.2008, s. 6) med senere ændringer.

6) Regulation (EC) No 864/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 July 2007 on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations (Rome II) (OJ L 199, 31.7.2007, p. 40) including any subsequent amendments.

6) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 864/2007 af 11. juli 2007 om lovvalgsregler for forpligtelser uden for kontrakt (Rom II-forordningen) (EUT L 199 af 31.7.2007, s. 40) med senere ændringer.

7) Council Regulation (EU) No 1260/2012 of 17 December 2012 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection with regard to the applicable translation arrangements (OJ L 361, 31.12.2012, p. 89) including any subsequent amendments.

7) Rådets forordning (EU) nr. 1260/2012 af 17. december 2012 om gennemførelse af et forstærket samarbejde om indførelse af enhedspatentbeskyttelse for så vidt angår gældende oversættelsesordninger (EUT L 361 af 31.12.2012, s. 89) med senere ændringer.

8) Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to veterinary medicinal pro‐ ducts (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 1) including any subsequent amendments.

9) Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 67) including any subsequent amendments.

8) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets direktiv 2001/82/EF af 6. november 2001 om oprettelse af en fællesskabskodeks for veterinærlægemidler (EFT L 311 af 28.11.2001, s. 1) med senere ændringer.

9) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets direktiv 2001/83/EF af 6. november 2001 om oprettelse af en fællesskabskodeks for humanmedicinske lægemidler (EFT L 311 af 28.11.2001, s. 67) med senere ændringer.

10) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), »Chicago Convention«, Document 7300/9 (9th edition, 2006).

10) Organisationen for International Civil Luftfart (ICAO) »Chicagokonventionen«, dok. 7300/9 (9. udgave, 2006).

11) Council Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 of 27 July 1994 on Community plant variety rights (OJ L 227, 1.9.1994, p. 1) including any subsequent amend‐ ments.

11) Rådets forordning (EF) nr. 2100/94 af 27. juli 1994 om EF-sortsbeskyttelse (EFT L 227 af 1.9.1994, s. 1) med senere ændringer.

12) Directive 2009/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the legal protection of computer programs (OJ L 111, 5.5.2009, p. 16) including any subsequent amendments.

12) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets direktiv 2009/24/EF af 23. april 2009 om retlig beskyttelse af edb-programmer (EUT L 111 af 5.5.2009, s. 16) med senere ændringer.

13) Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions (OJ L 213, 30.7.1998, p. 13) including any subsequent amendments.

13) Europa-Parlamentets og Rådets direktiv 98/44/EF af 6. juli 1998 om retlig beskyttelse af bioteknologiske opfindelser (EFT L 213 af 30.7.1998, s. 13) med senere ændringer.

14) Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, done at Lugano on 30 October 2007, inclu‐ ding any subsequent amendments.

14) Konventionen om retternes kompetence og om anerkendelse og fuldbyrdelse af retsafgørelser på det civil- og handelsretlige område, udfærdiget i Lugano den 30. oktober 2007, med senere ændringer.

15) The classification into 8 sections (A to H) is based on the International Patent Classification of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (http:// www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en).

15) Klassifikationen i otte sektioner (A-H) bygger på den internationale patentklassifikation fra Verdensorganisationen for Intellektuel Ejendomsret (http:// www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en).

Download PDF open_in_new

The Unified Patent Etc. Act No. 551 of June 2, 2014

Act No. 551 of 2 June 2014 is translated into English by the Danish Patent and Trademark Office. (Annex 1, Agreement on a Unified Patent Court, in original English version.)

Act No. 551 of 2 June 2014

The Unified Patent Court etc. Act

WE, MARGRETHE THE SECOND, by the Grace of God Queen of Denmark, make known that

Folketinget (the Danish Parliament) has passed and We have given our Royal Assent to the following Act:

1.-(1) The Agreement of 19 February 2013 on a Unified Patent Court, cf. Annex 1 to this Act, shall apply in this country. (2) The Minister of Business and Growth may after negotiation with the Minister of Justice direct that provisions laid down pursuant to the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court shall apply in this country. (3) Powers which under the Constitution are vested in the authorities of the Kingdom may to the extent laid down in the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court be executed by the institutions referred to in that Agreement.

2.-(1) A request for the enforcement of a settlement, a decision or an order comprised by the Agreement shall be filed with the Bailiff’s Court. The request shall be in writing. (2) The enforcement of a settlement, a decision or an order comprised by the Agreement shall be effected pursuant to the rules of the Administration of Justice Act. (3) If a party does not comply with the terms of an order of the Unified Patent Court, the Bailiff’s Court may sanction that party with a recurring penalty payment payable to the Unified Patent Court. The individual penalty

shall bear a reasonable proportion to the importance of the order to be enforced and shall be without prejudice to the right of the said party to claim damages or security.

3.-(1) The Minister of Business and Growth shall fix the date of entry into force of this Act. (2) Actions which at the date of entry into force of this Act are pending before a Danish court shall be finished by that Danish court. (3) Section 225a(2) of the Administration of Justice Act as drawn up by section 4(ii) of this Act shall have effect for seven years from the date of entry into force of the Agreement. (4) The Minister of Business and Growth may after negotiation with the Minister of Justice prolong the period referred to in subsection 3 by up to seven years.

4.- In the Administration of Justice Act, cf. Consolidate Act No. 1139 of 24 September 2013, as latest amended by section 1 of Act No. 84 of 28 January 2014 the following amendments shall be made: (i) In section 225(2) “cf., however,

section 225a” shall be inserted after

The Ministry of Business and Growth The Patent and Trademark Office, File No. 12/379

“the Maritime and Commercial Court”.

(ii) After section 225 the following shall be inserted: “225a.-(1) Actions comprised by the Agreement of 19 February 2013 on a Unified Patent Court shall be brought before the Unified Patent Court. (2) Notwithstanding subsection 1 actions for infringement or revocation of a European patent or actions for infringement or revocation of a supplementary protection certificate granted for a product protected by a European patent may be brought before a Danish court pursuant to the rules of this Act.”

(iii) In section 254a(2) “or to actions which pursuant to section 225a(1) are brought before the Unified Patent Court” shall be inserted after “actions referred to in Part 42, 42 a, 43, 43 a, 43 b, 44 and 88”.

(iv) In section 411 the following shall be inserted as subsection 5: “(5) The rules of this Part shall not apply to actions which pursuant to section 225a(1) are brought before the Unified Patent Court.”

5.- In the Patents Act, cf. Consolidate Act No. 108 of 24 January 2012, as amended by section 29 of Act No. 639 of 12 June 2013 the following amendments shall be made: (i) In section 23(2) and section 53b(5), 1st

sentence, “section 51, 54 or 96” shall be changed to “section 51 or 54”.

(ii) After section 50 the following shall be inserted in Part 6: “50a.- Sections 45 to 50 shall apply mutatis mutandis to European patents having a unitary effect pursuant to Regulation No. 1257/2012 of the

European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2012 implementing enhanced co-operation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection.”

(iii) In section 57(1) the following shall be inserted as 2nd sentence: “That shall also apply to infringement of patent rights established pursuant to Regulation No. 1257/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2012 implementing enhanced co-operation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection.”

1 st(iv) In section 67(1), sentence,

“sections 44, 53d, 53e, 72(1) and (2), 73 and 96” shall be changed to “sections 44, 53d and 53e, section 72(1) and (2) and section 73” and “or termination of the patent” shall be deleted.

(v) In section 77 the following shall be inserted as subsection 5: “(5) A European patent shall not be deemed to have obtained effect as a national patent in this country when the unitary effect of the said patent has been registered.”

(vi) In section 104 the following shall be inserted as subsection 4: “(4) Fees paid pursuant to section 98(7) shall be refunded in cases where a European patent pursuant to section 77(5) is not deemed to have obtained effect as a national patent in this country.”

6.- In the Utility Models Act, cf. Consolidate Act No. 106 of 24 January 2012, as amended by section 24 of Act No. 639 of 12 June 2013 the following amendment shall be made: (i) Sections 72 and 73 shall be repealed.

7.- In Act No. 1057 of 23 December 1992 to amend the Patents Act (Ratification of the Agreement relating to Community patents, etc.) the following amendments shall be made: (i) Section 1(xxxiv), section 2(2)

section 4(2) shall be repealed. and

(ii) In section 2(1) “cf., how subsection 2” shall be deleted.

ever,

8.-(1) This Act shall not apply to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, cf., however, subsection 2. (2) Section 6 of this Act may by Royal Ordinance be put into force in whole or in part for the Faroe Islands and Greenland with such deviations as the circumstances of the Faroe Islands and Greenland may require.

Given at Amalienborg on 2 June 2014

Under our Royal Hand and Seal

MARGRETHE R.

/Henrik Sass Larsen

ANNEX 1

AGREEMENT

on a Unified Patent Court

THE CONTRACTING MEMBER STATES,

CONSIDERING that cooperation amongst the Member States of the European Union in the field of patents contributes significantly to the integration process in Europe, in particular to the establishment of an internal market within the European Union characterised by the free movement of goods and services and the creation of a system ensuring that competition in the internal market is not distorted;

CONSIDERING that the fragmented market for patents and the significant variations between national court systems are detrimental for innovation, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises which have difficulties to enforce their patents and to defend themselves against unfounded claims and claims relating to patents which should be revoked;

CONSIDERING that the European Patent Convention (EPC) which has been ratified by all Member States of the European Union provides for a single procedure for granting European patents by the European Patent Office;

CONSIDERING that by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1257/20121), patent proprietors can request unitary effect of their European patents so as to obtain unitary patent protection in the Member States of the European Union participating in the enhanced cooperation;

WISHING to improve the enforcement of patents and the defence against unfounded claims and patents which should be revoked and to enhance legal certainty by setting up a Unified Patent Court for litigation relating to the infringement and validity of patents;

CONSIDERING that the Unified Patent Court should be devised to ensure expeditious and high quality decisions, striking a fair balance between the interests of right holders and other parties and taking into account the need for proportionality and flexibility;

CONSIDERING that the Unified Patent Court should be a court common to the Contracting Member States and thus part of their judicial system, with exclusive competence in respect of European patents with unitary effect and European patents granted under the provisions of the EPC;

CONSIDERING that the Court of Justice of the European Union is to ensure the uniformity of the Union legal order and the primacy of European Union law;

RECALLING the obligations of the Contracting Member States under the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), including the obligation of sincere cooperation as set out in Article 4(3) TEU and the obligation to ensure through the Unified Patent Court the full application of, and respect for, Union law in their respective territories and the judicial protection of an individual's rights under that law;

CONSIDERING that, as any national court, the Unified Patent Court must respect and apply Union law and, in

collaboration with the Court of Justice of the European Union as guardian of Union law, ensure its correct application and uniform interpretation; the Unified Patent Court must in particular cooperate with the Court of Justice of the European Union in properly interpreting Union law by relying on the latter's case law and by requesting preliminary rulings in accordance with Article 267 TFEU;

CONSIDERING that the Contracting Member States should, in line with the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union on non-contractual liability, be liable for damages caused by infringements of Union law by the Unified Patent Court, including the failure to request preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Union;

CONSIDERING that infringements of Union law by the Unified Patent Court, including the failure to request preliminary rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Union, are directly attributable to the Contracting Member States and infringement proceedings can therefore be brought under Article 258, 259 and 260 TFEU against any Contracting Member State to ensure the respect of the primacy and proper application of Union law;

RECALLING the primacy of Union law, which includes the TEU, the TFEU, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, the general principles of Union law as developed by the Court of Justice of the European Union, and in particular the right to an effective remedy before a tribunal and a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal, the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and secondary Union law;

CONSIDERING that this Agreement should be open to accession by any Member State of the European Union; Member States which have decided not to participate in the enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection may participate in this Agreement in respect of European patents granted for their respective territory;

CONSIDERING that this Agreement should enter into force on 1 January 2014 or on the first day of the fourth month after the 13th deposit, provided that the Contracting Member States that will have deposited their instruments of ratification or accession include the three States in which the highest number of European patents was in force in the year preceding the year in which the signature of the Agreement takes place, or on the first day of the fourth month after the date of entry into force of the amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1215/20122) concerning its relationship with this Agreement, whichever is the latest,

HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:

PART I

GENERAL AND INSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I

General provisions

Article 1

Unified Patent Court

A Unified Patent Court for the settlement of disputes relating to European patents and European patents with unitary effect is hereby established.

The Unified Patent Court shall be a court common to the Contracting Member States and thus subject to the same obligations under Union law as any national court of the Contracting Member States.

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Agreement: a) »Court« means the Unified Patent Court created by this Agreement. b) »Member State« means a Member State of the European Union. c) »Contracting Member State« means a Member State party to this Agreement. d) »EPC« means the Convention on the Grant of European Patents of 5 October 1973, including any

subsequent amendments. e) »European patent« means a patent granted under the provisions of the EPC, which does not benefit from

unitary effect by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012. f) »European patent with unitary effect« means a patent granted under the provisions of the EPC which

benefits from unitary effect by virtue of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012. g) »Patent« means a European patent and/or a European patent with unitary effect. h) »Supplementary protection certificate« means a supplementary protection certificate granted under

3) 4)Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 or under Regulation (EC) No 1610/96 . i) »Statute« means the Statute of the Court as set out in Annex I, which shall be an integral part of this

Agreement. j) »Rules of Procedure« means the Rules of Procedure of the Court, as established in accordance with Article

41.

Article 3

Scope of application

This Agreement shall apply to any: a) European patent with unitary effect; b) supplementary protection certificate issued for a product protected by a patent; c) European patent which has not yet lapsed at the date of entry into force of this Agreement or was granted

after that date, without prejudice to Article 83; and d) European patent application which is pending at the date of entry into force of this Agreement or which is

filed after that date, without prejudice to Article 83.

Article 4

Legal status

1. The Court shall have legal personality in each Contracting Member State and shall enjoy the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under the national law of that State.

2. The Court shall be represented by the President of the Court of Appeal who shall be elected in accordance with the Statute.

Article 5

Liability

2. The non-contractual liability of the Court in respect of any damage caused by it or its staff in the performance of their duties, to the extent that it is not a civil and commercial matter within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 864/20076) (Rome II), shall be governed by the law of the Contracting Member State in which the damage occurred. This provision is without prejudice to the application of Article 22.

3. The court with jurisdiction to settle disputes under paragraph 2 shall be a court of the Contracting Member State in which the damage occurred.

CHAPTER II

Institutional provisions

Article 6

The Court

1. The Court shall comprise a Court of First Instance, a Court of Appeal and a Registry.

2. The Court shall perform the functions assigned to it by this Agreement.

Article 7

The Court of First Instance

1. The Court of First Instance shall comprise a central division as well as local and regional divisions.

2. The central division shall have its seat in Paris, with sections in London and Munich. The cases before the central division shall be distributed in accordance with Annex II, which shall form an integral part of this Agreement.

3. A local division shall be set up in a Contracting Member State upon its request in accordance with the Statute. A Contracting Member State hosting a local division shall designate its seat.

4. An additional local division shall be set up in a Contracting Member State upon its request for every one hundred patent cases per calendar year that have been commenced in that Contracting Member State during three successive years prior to or subsequent to the date of entry into force of this Agreement. The number of local divisions in one Contracting Member State shall not exceed four.

5. A regional division shall be set up for two or more Contracting Member States, upon their request in accordance with the Statute. Such Contracting Member States shall designate the seat of the division concerned. The regional division may hear cases in multiple locations.

Article 8

Composition of the panels of the Court of First Instance

1. Any panel of the Court of First Instance shall have a multinational composition. Without prejudice to paragraph 5 of this Article and to Article 33(3)(a), it shall sit in a composition of three judges.

2. Any panel of a local division in a Contracting Member State where, during a period of three successive years prior or subsequent to the entry into force of this Agreement, less than fifty patent cases per calendar year on average have been commenced shall sit in a composition of one legally qualified judge who is a national of the Contracting Member State hosting the local division concerned and two legally qualified judges who are not nationals of the Contracting Member State concerned and are allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3) on a case by case basis.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, any panel of a local division in a Contracting Member State where, during a period of three successive years prior or subsequent to the entry into force of this Agreement, fifty or more patent cases per calendar year on average have been commenced, shall sit in a composition of two legally qualified judges who are nationals of the Contracting Member State hosting the local division concerned and one legally qualified judge who is not a national of the Contracting Member State concerned and is allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3). Such third judge shall serve at the local division on a long term basis, where this is necessary for the efficient functioning of divisions with a high work load.

4. Any panel of a regional division shall sit in a composition of two legally qualified judges chosen from a regional list of judges, who shall be nationals of the Contracting Member States concerned, and one legally qualified judge who shall not be a national of the Contracting Member States concerned and who shall be allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3).

5. Upon request by one of the parties, any panel of a local or regional division shall request the President of the Court of First Instance to allocate from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3) an additional technically qualified judge with qualifications and experience in the field of technology concerned. Moreover, any panel of a local or regional division may, after having heard the parties, submit such request on its own initiative, where it deems this appropriate.

In cases where such a technically qualified judge is allocated, no further technically qualified judge may be allocated under Article 33(3)(a).

6. Any panel of the central division shall sit in a composition of two legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member States and one technically qualified judge allocated from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3) with qualifications and experience in the field of technology concerned. However, any panel of the central division dealing with actions under Article 32(1)(i) shall sit in a composition of three legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member States.

7. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 to 6 and in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, parties may agree to have their case heard by a single legally qualified judge.

8. Any panel of the Court of First Instance shall be chaired by a legally qualified judge.

Article 9

The Court of Appeal

1. Any panel of the Court of Appeal shall sit in a multinational composition of five judges. It shall sit in a composition of three legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member States and two technically qualified judges with qualifications and experience in the field of technology concerned. Those technically qualified judges shall be assigned to the panel by the President of the Court of Appeal from the pool of judges in accordance with Article 18.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, a panel dealing with actions under Article 32(1)(i) shall sit in a composition of three legally qualified judges who are nationals of different Contracting Member States.

3. Any panel of the Court of Appeal shall be chaired by a legally qualified judge.

4. The panels of the Court of Appeal shall be set up in accordance with the Statute.

5. The Court of Appeal shall have its seat in Luxembourg.

Article 10

The Registry

1. A Registry shall be set up at the seat of the Court of Appeal. It shall be managed by the Registrar and perform the functions assigned to it in accordance with the Statute. Subject to conditions set out in this Agreement and the Rules of Procedure, the register kept by the Registry shall be public.

2. Sub-registries shall be set up at all divisions of the Court of First Instance.

3. The Registry shall keep records of all cases before the Court. Upon filing, the sub-registry concerned shall notify every case to the Registry.

4. The Court shall appoint the Registrar in accordance with Article 22 of the Statute and lay down the rules governing the Registrar's service.

Article 11

Committees

An Administrative Committee, a Budget Committee and an Advisory Committee shall be set up in order to ensure the effective implementation and operation of this Agreement. They shall in particular exercise the duties foreseen by this Agreement and the Statute.

Article 12

The Administrative Committee

1. The Administrative Committee shall be composed of one representative of each Contracting Member State. The European Commission shall be represented at the meetings of the Administrative Committee as observer.

2. Each Contracting Member State shall have one vote.

4. The Administrative Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

5. The Administrative Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members for a term of three years. That term shall be renewable.

Article 13

The Budget Committee

1. The Budget Committee shall be composed of one representative of each Contracting Member State.

2. Each Contracting Member State shall have one vote.

4. The Budget Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

5. The Budget Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members for a term of three years. That term shall be renewable.

Article 14

The Advisory Committee

1. The Advisory Committee shall: a) assist the Administrative Committee in the preparation of the appointment of judges of the Court; b) make proposals to the Presidium referred to in Article 15 of the Statute on the guidelines for the training

framework for judges referred to in Article 19; and c) deliver opinions to the Administrative Committee concerning the requirements for qualifications referred to

in Article 48(2).

2. The Advisory Committee shall comprise patent judges and practitioners in patent law and patent litigation with the highest recognised competence. They shall be appointed, in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Statute, for a term of six years. That term shall be renewable.

3. The composition of the Advisory Committee shall ensure a broad range of relevant expertise and the representation of each of the Contracting Member States. The members of the Advisory Committee shall be completely independent in the performance of their duties and shall not be bound by any instructions.

4. The Advisory Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

5. The Advisory Committee shall elect a chairperson from among its members for a term of three years. That term

shall be renewable.

CHAPTER III

Judges of the Court

Article 15

Eligibility criteria for the appointment of judges

2. Legally qualified judges shall possess the qualifications required for appointment to judicial offices in a Contracting Member State.

3. Technically qualified judges shall have a university degree and proven expertise in a field of technology. They shall also have proven knowledge of civil law and procedure relevant in patent litigation.

Article 16

Appointment procedure

1. The Advisory Committee shall establish a list of the most suitable candidates to be appointed as judges of the Court, in accordance with the Statute.

2. On the basis of that list, the Administrative Committee shall appoint the judges of the Court acting by common accord.

3. The implementing provisions for the appointment of judges are set out in the Statute.

Article 17

Judicial independence and impartiality

1. The Court, its judges and the Registrar shall enjoy judicial independence. In the performance of their duties, the judges shall not be bound by any instructions.

2. Legally qualified judges, as well as technically qualified judges who are full-time judges of the Court, may not engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not, unless an exception is granted by the Administrative Committee.

3. Notwithstanding paragraph 2, the exercise of the office of judges shall not exclude the exercise of other judicial functions at national level.

4. The exercise of the office of technically qualified judges who are part-time judges of the Court shall not exclude the exercise of other functions provided there is no conflict of interest.

5. In case of a conflict of interest, the judge concerned shall not take part in proceedings. Rules governing conflicts of interest are set out in the Statute.

Article 18

Pool of Judges

1. A Pool of Judges shall be established in accordance with the Statute.

2. The Pool of Judges shall be composed of all legally qualified judges and technically qualified judges from the Court of First Instance who are full-time or part-time judges of the Court. The Pool of Judges shall include at least one technically qualified judge per field of technology with the relevant qualifications and experience. The technically qualified judges from the Pool of Judges shall also be available to the Court of Appeal.

3. Where so provided by this Agreement or the Statute, the judges from the Pool of Judges shall be allocated to the division concerned by the President of the Court of First Instance. The allocation of judges shall be based on their legal or technical expertise, linguistic skills and relevant experience. The allocation of judges shall guarantee the same high quality of work and the same high level of legal and technical expertise in all panels of the Court of First Instance.

Article 19

Training framework

1. A training framework for judges, the details of which are set out in the Statute, shall be set up in order to improve and increase available patent litigation expertise and to ensure a broad geographic distribution of such specific knowledge and experience. The facilities for that framework shall be situated in Budapest.

2. The training framework shall in particular focus on: a) internships in national patent courts or divisions of the Court of First Instance hearing a substantial number

of patent litigation cases; b) improvement of linguistic skills; c) technical aspects of patent law; d) the dissemination of knowledge and experience in civil procedure for technically qualified judges; e) the preparation of candidate-judges.

3. The training framework shall provide for continuous training. Regular meetings shall be organised between all judges of the Court in order to discuss developments in patent law and to ensure the consistency of the Court's case law.

CHAPTER IV

The primacy of Union law, liability and responsibility of the Contracting Member States

Article 20

Primacy of and respect for Union law

The Court shall apply Union law in its entirety and shall respect its primacy.

Article 21

Requests for preliminary rulings

As a court common to the Contracting Member States and as part of their judicial system, the Court shall cooperate with the Court of Justice of the European Union to ensure the correct application and uniform interpretation of Union law, as any national court, in accordance with Article 267 TFEU in particular. Decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union shall be binding on the Court.

Article 22

Liability for damage caused by infringements of Union law

1. The Contracting Member States are jointly and severally liable for damage resulting from an infringement of Union law by the Court of Appeal, in accordance with Union law concerning non-contractual liability of Member States for damage caused by their national courts breaching Union law.

2. An action for such damages shall be brought against the Contracting Member State where the claimant has its residence or principal place of business or, in the absence of residence or principal place of business, place of business, before the competent authority of that Contracting Member State. Where the claimant does not have its residence, or principal place of business or, in the absence of residence or principal place of business, place of business in a Contracting Member State, the claimant may bring such an action against the Contracting Member State where the Court of Appeal has its seat, before the competent authority of that Contracting Member State.

3. The Contracting Member State that has paid damages is entitled to obtain proportional contribution, established in accordance with the method laid down in Article 37(3) and (4), from the other Contracting Member States. The detailed rules governing the Contracting Member States' contribution under this paragraph shall be determined by the Administrative Committee.

Article 23

Responsibility of the Contracting Member States

Actions of the Court are directly attributable to each Contracting Member State individually, including for the purposes of Articles 258, 259 and 260 TFEU, and to all Contracting Member States collectively.

CHAPTER V

Sources of law and substantive law

Article 24

Sources of law

1. In full compliance with Article 20, when hearing a case brought before it under this Agreement, the Court shall base its decisions on: a) Union law, including Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012 and Regulation (EU) No 1260/20127) ; b) this Agreement; c) the EPC; d) other international agreements applicable to patents and binding on all the Contracting Member States; and e) national law.

2. To the extent that the Court shall base its decisions on national law, including where relevant the law of non- contracting States, the applicable law shall be determined: a) by directly applicable provisions of Union law containing private international law rules, or b) in the absence of directly applicable provisions of Union law or where the latter do not apply, by

international instruments containing private international law rules; or c) in the absence of provisions referred to in points (a) and (b), by national provisions on private international

law as determined by the Court.

3. The law of non-contracting States shall apply when designated by application of the rules referred to in paragraph 2, in particular in relation to Articles 25 to 28, 54, 55, 64, 68 and 72.

Article 25

Right to prevent the direct use of the invention

A patent shall confer on its proprietor the right to prevent any third party not having the proprietor's consent from the following: a) making, offering, placing on the market or using a product which is the subject-matter of the patent, or

importing or storing the product for those purposes; b) using a process which is the subject-matter of the patent or, where the third party knows, or should have

known, that the use of the process is prohibited without the consent of the patent proprietor, offering the process for use within the territory of the Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect;

c) offering, placing on the market, using, or importing or storing for those purposes a product obtained directly by a process which is the subject-matter of the patent.

Article 26

Right to prevent the indirect use of the invention

1. A patent shall confer on its proprietor the right to prevent any third party not having the proprietor’s consent from supplying or offering to supply, within the territory of the Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect, any person other than a party entitled to exploit the patented invention, with means, relating to an essential element of that invention, for putting it into effect therein, when the third party knows, or should have known, that those means are suitable and intended for putting that invention into effect.

2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply when the means are staple commercial products, except where the third party induces the person supplied to perform any of the acts prohibited by Article 25.

3. Persons performing the acts referred to in Article 27(a) to (e) shall not be considered to be parties entitled to exploit the invention within the meaning of paragraph 1.

Article 27

Limitations of the effects of a patent

The rights conferred by a patent shall not extend to any of the following: a) acts done privately and for non-commercial purposes; b) acts done for experimental purposes relating to the subject-matter of the patented invention; c) the use of biological material for the purpose of breeding, or discovering and developing other plant

varieties; d) the acts allowed pursuant to Article 13(6) of Directive 2001/82/EC8) or Article 10(6) of Directive

2001/83/EC9) in respect of any patent covering the product within the meaning of either of those Directives; e) the extemporaneous preparation by a pharmacy, for individual cases, of a medicine in accordance with a

medical prescription or acts concerning the medicine so prepared; f) the use of the patented invention on board vessels of countries of the International Union for the Protection

of Industrial Property (Paris Union) or members of the World Trade Organisation, other than those Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect, in the body of such vessel, in the machinery, tackle, gear and other accessories, when such vessels temporarily or accidentally enter the waters of a Contracting Member State in which that patent has effect, provided that the invention is used there exclusively for the needs of the vessel;

g) the use of the patented invention in the construction or operation of aircraft or land vehicles or other means of transport of countries of the International Union for the Protection of Industrial Property (Paris Union) or members of the World Trade Organisation, other than those Contracting Member States in which that patent has effect, or of accessories to such aircraft or land vehicles, when these temporarily or accidentally enter the territory of a Contracting Member State in which that patent has effect;

h) the acts specified in Article 27 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 7 December 194410), where these acts concern the aircraft of a country party to that Convention other than a Contracting Member State in which that patent has effect;

i) the use by a farmer of the product of his harvest for propagation or multiplication by him on his own holding, provided that the plant propagating material was sold or otherwise commercialised to the farmer by or with the consent of the patent proprietor for agricultural use. The extent and the conditions for this use correspond to those under Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 2100/9411) ;

j) the use by a farmer of protected livestock for an agricultural purpose, provided that the breeding stock or other animal reproductive material were sold or otherwise commercialised to the farmer by or with the consent of the patent proprietor. Such use includes making the animal or other animal reproductive material available for the purposes of pursuing the farmer's agricultural activity, but not the sale thereof within the framework of, or for the purpose of, a commercial reproductive activity;

k) the acts and the use of the obtained information as allowed under Articles 5 and 6 of Directive 2009/24/EC12), in particular, by its provisions on decompilation and interoperability; and

l) the acts allowed pursuant to Article 10 of Directive 98/44/EC13).

Article 28

Right based on prior use of the invention

Article 29

Exhaustion of the rights conferred by a European patent

The rights conferred by a European patent shall not extend to acts concerning a product covered by that patent after that product has been placed on the market in the European Union by, or with the consent of, the patent proprietor, unless there are legitimate grounds for the patent proprietor to oppose further commercialisation of the product.

Article 30

Effects of supplementary protection certificates

A supplementary protection certificate shall confer the same rights as conferred by the patent and shall be subject to the same limitations and the same obligations.

CHAPTER VI

International jurisdiction and competence

Article 31

International jurisdiction

Article 32

Competence of the Court

1. The Court shall have exclusive competence in respect of: a) actions for actual or threatened infringements of patents and supplementary protection certificates and

related defences, including counterclaims concerning licences; b) actions for declarations of non-infringement of patents and supplementary protection certificates; c) actions for provisional and protective measures and injunctions; d) actions for revocation of patents and for declaration of invalidity of supplementary protection certificates; e) counterclaims for revocation of patents and for declaration of invalidity of supplementary protection

certificates; f) actions for damages or compensation derived from the provisional protection conferred by a published

European patent application; g) actions relating to the use of the invention prior to the granting of the patent or to the right based on prior

use of the invention; h) actions for compensation for licences on the basis of Article 8 of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012; and i) actions concerning decisions of the European Patent Office in carrying out the tasks referred to in Article 9

of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012.

Article 33

Competence of the divisions of the Court of First Instance

1. Without prejudice to paragraph 7 of this Article, actions referred to in Article 32(1)(a), (c), (f) and (g) shall be brought before: a) the local division hosted by the Contracting Member State where the actual or threatened infringement has

occurred or may occur, or the regional division in which that Contracting Member State participates; or b) the local division hosted by the Contracting Member State where the defendant or, in the case of multiple

defendants, one of the defendants has its residence, or principal place of business, or in the absence of residence or principal place of business, its place of business, or the regional division in which that Contracting Member State participates. An action may be brought against multiple defendants only where the defendants have a commercial relationship and where the action relates to the same alleged infringement.

Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(h) shall be brought before the local or regional division in accordance with point (b) of the first subparagraph.

If the Contracting Member State concerned does not host a local division and does not participate in a regional division, actions shall be brought before the central division.

2. If an action referred to in Article 32(1)(a), (c), (f), (g) or (h) is pending before a division of the Court of First Instance, any action referred to in Article 32(1)(a), (c), (f), (g) or (h) between the same parties on the same patent may not be brought before any other division.

If an action referred to in Article 32(1)(a) is pending before a regional division and the infringement has occurred in the territories of three or more regional divisions, the regional division concerned shall, at the request of the defendant, refer the case to the central division.

In case an action between the same parties on the same patent is brought before several different divisions, the division first seized shall be competent for the whole case and any division seized later shall declare the action inadmissible in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

President of the Court of First Instance to allocate from the Pool of Judges in accordance with Article 18(3) a technically qualified judge with qualifications and experience in the field of technology concerned.

b) refer the counterclaim for revocation for decision to the central division and suspend or proceed with the action for infringement; or

c) with the agreement of the parties, refer the case for decision to the central division.

4. Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(b) and (d) shall be brought before the central division. If, however, an action for infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(a) between the same parties relating to the same patent has been brought before a local or a regional division, these actions may only be brought before the same local or regional division.

5. If an action for revocation as referred to in Article 32(1)(d) is pending before the central division, an action for infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(a) between the same parties relating to the same patent may be brought before any division in accordance with paragraph 1 of this Article or before the central division. The local or regional division concerned shall have the discretion to proceed in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article.

6. An action for declaration of non-infringement as referred to in Article 32(1)(b) pending before the central division shall be stayed once an infringement action as referred to in Article 32(1)(a) between the same parties or between the holder of an exclusive licence and the party requesting a declaration of non-infringement relating to the same patent is brought before a local or regional division within three months of the date on which the action was initiated before the central division.

7. Parties may agree to bring actions referred to in Article 32(1)(a) to (h) before the division of their choice, including the central division.

8. Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(d) and (e) can be brought without the applicant having to file notice of opposition with the European Patent Office.

9. Actions referred to in Article 32(1)(i) shall be brought before the central division.

10. A party shall inform the Court of any pending revocation, limitation or opposition proceedings before the European Patent Office, and of any request for accelerated processing before the European Patent Office. The Court may stay its proceedings when a rapid decision may be expected from the European Patent Office.

Article 34

Territorial scope of decisions

Decisions of the Court shall cover, in the case of a European patent, the territory of those Contracting Member States for which the European patent has effect.

CHAPTER VII

Patent mediation and arbitration

Article 35

Patent mediation and arbitration centre

1. A patent mediation and arbitration centre (»the Centre«) is hereby established. It shall have its seats in Ljubljana and Lisbon.

2. The Centre shall provide facilities for mediation and arbitration of patent disputes falling within the scope of this Agreement. Article 82 shall apply mutatis mutandis to any settlement reached through the use of the facilities of the Centre, including through mediation. However, a patent may not be revoked or limited in mediation or arbitration proceedings.

3. The Centre shall establish Mediation and Arbitration Rules.

4. The Centre shall draw up a list of mediators and arbitrators to assist the parties in the settlement of their dispute.

PART II

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

Article 36

Budget of the Court

1. The budget of the Court shall be financed by the Court's own financial revenues and, at least in the transitional period referred to in Article 83 as necessary, by contributions from the Contracting Member States. The budget shall be balanced.

2. The Court's own financial revenues shall comprise court fees and other revenues.

3. Court fees shall be fixed by the Administrative Committee. They shall consist of a fixed fee, combined with a value-based fee above a pre-defined ceiling. The Court fees shall be fixed at such a level as to ensure a right balance between the principle of fair access to justice, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises, micro- entities, natural persons, non-profit organisations, universities and public research organisations and an adequate contribution of the parties for the costs incurred by the Court, recognising the economic benefits to the parties involved, and the objective of a self-financing Court with balanced finances. The level of the Court fees shall be reviewed periodically by the Administrative Committee. Targeted support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises and micro entities may be considered.

4. If the Court is unable to balance its budget out of its own resources, the Contracting Member States shall remit to it special financial contributions.

Article 37

Financing of the Court

1. The operating costs of the Court shall be covered by the budget of the Court, in accordance with the Statute. Contracting Member States setting up a local division shall provide the facilities necessary for that purpose.

Contracting Member States sharing a regional division shall provide jointly the facilities necessary for that purpose. Contracting Member States hosting the central division, its sections or the Court of Appeal shall provide the facilities necessary for that purpose. During an initial transitional period of seven years starting from the date of the entry into force of this Agreement, the Contracting Member States concerned shall also provide administrative support staff, without prejudice to the Statute of that staff.

2. On the date of entry into force of this Agreement, the Contracting Member States shall provide the initial financial contributions necessary for the setting up of the Court.

3. During the initial transitional period of seven years, starting from the date of the entry into force of this Agreement, the contribution by each Contracting Member State having ratified or acceded to the Agreement before the entry into force thereof shall be calculated on the basis of the number of European patents having effect in the territory of that State on the date of entry into force of this Agreement and the number of European patents with respect to which actions for infringement or for revocation have been brought before the national courts of that

State in the three years preceding entry into force of this Agreement. During the same initial transitional period of seven years, for Member States which ratify, or accede to, this

Agreement after the entry into force thereof, the contributions shall be calculated on the basis of the number of European patents having effect in the territory of the ratifying or acceding Member State on the date of the ratification or accession and the number of European patents with respect to which actions for infringement or for revocation have been brought before the national courts of the ratifying or acceding Member State in the three years preceding the ratification or accession.

4. After the end of the initial transitional period of seven years, by which the Court is expected to have become self-financing, should contributions by the Contracting Member States become necessary, they shall be determined in accordance with the scale for the distribution of annual renewal fees for European patents with unitary effect applicable at the time the contribution becomes necessary.

Article 38

Financing of the training framework for judges

The training framework for judges shall be financed by the budget of the Court.

Article 39

Financing of the Centre

The operating costs of the Centre shall be financed by the budget of the Court.

PART III

ORGANISATION AND PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER I

General provisions

Article 40

Statute

1. The Statute shall lay down the details of the organisation and functioning of the Court.

2. The Statute is annexed to this Agreement. The Statute may be amended by decision of the Administrative Committee, on the basis of a proposal of the Court or a proposal of a Contracting Member State after consultation with the Court. However, such amendments shall not contradict or alter this Agreement.

3. The Statute shall guarantee that the functioning of the Court is organised in the most efficient and cost- effective manner and shall ensure equitable access to justice.

Article 41

Rules of Procedure

1. The Rules of Procedure shall lay down the details of the proceedings before the Court. They shall comply with this Agreement and the Statute.

The Rules of Procedure may be amended by a decision of the Administrative Committee, on the basis of a proposal from the Court and after consultation with the European Commission. However, such amendments shall not contradict or alter this Agreement or the Statute.

3. The Rules of Procedure shall guarantee that the decisions of the Court are of the highest quality and that proceedings are organised in the most efficient and cost effective manner. They shall ensure a fair balance between the legitimate interests of all parties. They shall provide for the required level of discretion of judges without impairing the predictability of proceedings for the parties.

Article 42

Proportionality and fairness

1. The Court shall deal with litigation in ways which are proportionate to the importance and complexity thereof.

2. The Court shall ensure that the rules, procedures and remedies provided for in this Agreement and in the Statute are used in a fair and equitable manner and do not distort competition.

Article 43

Case management

The Court shall actively manage the cases before it in accordance with the Rules of Procedure without impairing the freedom of the parties to determine the subject-matter of, and the supporting evidence for, their case.

Article 44

Electronic procedures

The Court shall make best use of electronic procedures, such as the electronic filing of submissions of the parties and stating of evidence in electronic form, as well as video conferencing, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Article 45

Public proceedings

The proceedings shall be open to the public unless the Court decides to make them confidential, to the extent necessary, in the interest of one of the parties or other affected persons, or in the general interest of justice or public order.

Article 46

Legal capacity

Any natural or legal person, or any body equivalent to a legal person entitled to initiate proceedings in accordance with its national law, shall have the capacity to be a party to the proceedings before the Court.

Article 47

Parties

1. The patent proprietor shall be entitled to bring actions before the Court.

2. Unless the licensing agreement provides otherwise, the holder of an exclusive licence in respect of a patent shall be entitled to bring actions before the Court under the same circumstances as the patent proprietor, provided that the patent proprietor is given prior notice.

4. In actions brought by a licence holder, the patent proprietor shall be entitled to join the action before the Court.

5. The validity of a patent cannot be contested in an action for infringement brought by the holder of a licence where the patent proprietor does not take part in the proceedings. The party in an action for infringement wanting to contest the validity of a patent shall have to bring actions against the patent proprietor.

6. Any other natural or legal person, or any body entitled to bring actions in accordance with its national law, who is concerned by a patent, may bring actions in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

7. Any natural or legal person, or any body entitled to bring actions in accordance with its national law and who is affected by a decision of the European Patent Office in carrying out the tasks referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012 is entitled to bring actions under Article 32(1)(i).

Article 48

Representation

1. Parties shall be represented by lawyers authorised to practise before a court of a Contracting Member State.

3. The requirements for qualifications pursuant to paragraph 2 shall be established by the Administrative Committee. A list of European Patent Attorneys entitled to represent parties before the Court shall be kept by the Registrar.

4. Representatives of the parties may be assisted by patent attorneys, who shall be allowed to speak at hearings of the Court in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

5. Representatives of the parties shall enjoy the rights and immunities necessary for the independent exercise of their duties, including the privilege from disclosure in proceedings before the Court in respect of communications between a representative and the party or any other person, under the conditions laid down in the Rules of Procedure, unless such privilege is expressly waived by the party concerned.

6. Representatives of the parties shall be obliged not to misrepresent cases or facts before the Court either knowingly or with good reasons to know.

7. Representation in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall not be required in proceedings under Article 32(1)(i).

CHAPTER II

Language of proceedings

Article 49

Language of proceedings at the Court of First Instance

3. The parties may agree on the use of the language in which the patent was granted as the language of proceedings, subject to approval by the competent panel. If the panel does not approve their choice, the parties may request that the case be referred to the central division.

4. With the agreement of the parties the competent panel may, on grounds of convenience and fairness, decide on the use of the language in which the patent was granted as the language of proceedings.

5. At the request of one of the parties and after having heard the other parties and the competent panel, the President of the Court of First Instance may, on grounds of fairness and taking into account all relevant circumstances, including the position of parties, in particular the position of the defendant, decide on the use of the language in which the patent was granted as language of proceedings. In this case the President of the Court of First Instance shall assess the need for specific translation and interpretation arrangements.

6. The language of proceedings at the central division shall be the language in which the patent concerned was granted.

Article 50

Language of proceedings at the Court of Appeal

1. The language of proceedings before the Court of Appeal shall be the language of proceedings before the Court of First Instance.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 the parties may agree on the use of the language in which the patent was granted as the language of proceedings.

Article 51

Other language arrangements

1. Any panel of the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal may, to the extent deemed appropriate, dispense with translation requirements.

3. Notwithstanding Article 49(6), in cases where an action for infringement is brought before the central division, a defendant having its residence, principal place of business or place of business in a Member State shall have the right to obtain, upon request, translations of relevant documents in the language of the Member State of residence, principal place of business or, in the absence of residence or principal place of business, place of business, in the following circumstances: a) jurisdiction is entrusted to the central division in accordance with Article 33(1) third or fourth

subparagraph, and b) the language of proceedings at the central division is a language which is not an official language of the

Member State where the defendant has its residence, principal place of business or, in the absence of residence or principal place of business, place of business, and

c) the defendant does not have proper knowledge of the language of the proceedings.

CHAPTER III

Proceedings before the Court

Article 52

Written, interim and oral procedures

1. The proceedings before the Court shall consist of a written, an interim and an oral procedure, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. All procedures shall be organized in a flexible and balanced manner.

2. In the interim procedure, after the written procedure and if appropriate, the judge acting as Rapporteur, subject to a mandate of the full panel, shall be responsible for convening an interim hearing. That judge shall in particular explore with the parties the possibility for a settlement, including through mediation, and/or arbitration, by using the facilities of the Centre referred to in Article 35.

3. The oral procedure shall give parties the opportunity to explain properly their arguments. The Court may, with the agreement of the parties, dispense with the oral hearing.

Article 53

Means of evidence

1. In proceedings before the Court, the means of giving or obtaining evidence shall include in particular the following: a) hearing the parties; b) requests for information; c) production of documents; d) hearing witnesses; e) opinions by experts; f) inspection; g) comparative tests or experiments; h) sworn statements in writing (affidavits).

2. The Rules of Procedure shall govern the procedure for taking such evidence. Questioning of witnesses and experts shall be under the control of the Court and be limited to what is necessary.

Article 54

Burden of proof

Without prejudice to Article 24(2) and (3), the burden of the proof of facts shall be on the party relying on those facts.

Article 55

Reversal of burden of proof

1. Without prejudice to Article 24(2) and (3), if the subject-matter of a patent is a process for obtaining a new product, the identical product when produced without the consent of the patent proprietor shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be deemed to have been obtained by the patented process.

3. In the adduction of proof to the contrary, the legitimate interests of the defendant in protecting its manufacturing and trade secrets shall be taken into account.

CHAPTER IV

Powers of the Court

Article 56

The general powers of the Court

1. The Court may impose such measures, procedures and remedies as are laid down in this Agreement and may make its orders subject to conditions, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

2. The Court shall take due account of the interest of the parties and shall, before making an order, give any party the opportunity to be heard, unless this is incompatible with the effective enforcement of such order.

Article 57

Court experts

1. Without prejudice to the possibility for the parties to produce expert evidence, the Court may at any time appoint court experts in order to provide expertise for specific aspects of the case. The Court shall provide such expert with all information necessary for the provision of the expert advice.

2. To this end, an indicative list of experts shall be drawn up by the Court in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. That list shall be kept by the Registrar.

3. The court experts shall guarantee independence and impartiality. Rules governing conflicts of interest applicable to judges set out in Article 7 of the Statute shall by analogy apply to court experts.

4. Expert advice given to the Court by court experts shall be made available to the parties which shall have the possibility to comment on it.

Article 58

Protection of confidential information

To protect the trade secrets, personal data or other confidential information of a party to the proceedings or of a third party, or to prevent an abuse of evidence, the Court may order that the collection and use of evidence in proceedings before it be restricted or prohibited or that access to such evidence be restricted to specific persons.

Article 59

Order to produce evidence

2. At the request of a party the Court may order, under the same conditions as specified in paragraph 1, the communication of banking, financial or commercial documents under the control of the opposing party, subject to the protection of confidential information.

Article 60

Order to preserve evidence and to inspect premises

1. At the request of the applicant which has presented reasonably available evidence to support the claim that the patent has been infringed or is about to be infringed the Court may, even before the commencement of proceedings on the merits of the case, order prompt and effective provisional measures to preserve relevant evidence in respect of the alleged infringement, subject to the protection of confidential information.

2. Such measures may include the detailed description, with or without the taking of samples, or the physical seizure of the infringing products, and, in appropriate cases, the materials and implements used in the production and/or distribution of those products and the documents relating thereto.

3. The Court may, even before the commencement of proceedings on the merits of the case, at the request of the applicant who has presented evidence to support the claim that the patent has been infringed or is about to be infringed, order the inspection of premises. Such inspection of premises shall be conducted by a person appointed by the Court in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

4. At the inspection of the premises the applicant shall not be present itself but may be represented by an independent professional practitioner whose name has to be specified in the Court's order.

6. Where measures to preserve evidence or inspect premises are ordered without the other party in the case having been heard, the parties affected shall be given notice, without delay and at the latest immediately after the execution of the measures. A review, including a right to be heard, shall take place upon request of the parties affected with a view to deciding, within a reasonable period after the notification of the measures, whether the measures are to be modified, revoked or confirmed.

7. The measures to preserve evidence may be subject to the lodging by the applicant of adequate security or an equivalent assurance intended to ensure compensation for any prejudice suffered by the defendant as provided for in paragraph 9.

8. The Court shall ensure that the measures to preserve evidence are revoked or otherwise cease to have effect, at the defendant's request, without prejudice to the damages which may be claimed, if the applicant does not bring, within a period not exceeding 31 calendar days or 20 working days, whichever is the longer, action leading to a decision on the merits of the case before the Court.

9. Where the measures to preserve evidence are revoked, or where they lapse due to any act or omission by the applicant, or where it is subsequently found that there has been no infringement or threat of infringement of the patent, the Court may order the applicant, at the defendant's request, to provide the defendant with appropriate compensation for any damage suffered as a result of those measures.

Article 61

Freezing orders

on the merits of the case, order a party not to remove from its jurisdiction any assets located therein, or not to deal in any assets, whether located within its jurisdiction or not.

2. Article 60(5) to (9) shall apply by analogy to the measures referred to in this Article.

Article 62

Provisional and protective measures

1. The Court may, by way of order, grant injunctions against an alleged infringer or against an intermediary whose services are used by the alleged infringer, intended to prevent any imminent infringement, to prohibit, on a provisional basis and subject, where appropriate, to a recurring penalty payment, the continuation of the alleged infringement or to make such continuation subject to the lodging of guarantees intended to ensure the compensation of the right holder.

2. The Court shall have the discretion to weigh up the interests of the parties and in particular to take into account the potential harm for either of the parties resulting from the granting or the refusal of the injunction.

3. The Court may also order the seizure or delivery up of the products suspected of infringing a patent so as to prevent their entry into, or movement, within the channels of commerce. If the applicant demonstrates circumstances likely to endanger the recovery of damages, the Court may order the precautionary seizure of the movable and immovable property of the alleged infringer, including the blocking of the bank accounts and of other assets of the alleged infringer.

4. The Court may, in respect of the measures referred to in paragraphs 1 and 3, require the applicant to provide any reasonable evidence in order to satisfy itself with a sufficient degree of certainty that the applicant is the right holder and that the applicant's right is being infringed, or that such infringement is imminent.

5. Article 60(5) to (9) shall apply by analogy to the measures referred to in this Article.

Article 63

Permanent injunctions

1. Where a decision is taken finding an infringement of a patent, the Court may grant an injunction against the infringer aimed at prohibiting the continuation of the infringement. The Court may also grant such injunction against an intermediary whose services are being used by a third party to infringe a patent.

2. Where appropriate, non-compliance with the injunction referred to in paragraph 1 shall be subject to a recurring penalty payment payable to the Court.

Article 64

Corrective measures in infringement proceedings

1. Without prejudice to any damages due to the injured party by reason of the infringement, and without compensation of any sort, the Court may order, at the request of the applicant, that appropriate measures be taken with regard to products found to be infringing a patent and, in appropriate cases, with regard to materials and implements principally used in the creation or manufacture of those products.

2. Such measures shall include: a) a declaration of infringement; b) recalling the products from the channels of commerce; c) depriving the product of its infringing property; d) definitively removing the products from the channels of commerce; or e) the destruction of the products and/or of the materials and implements concerned.

3. The Court shall order that those measures be carried out at the expense of the infringer, unless particular reasons are invoked for not doing so.

4. In considering a request for corrective measures pursuant to this Article, the Court shall take into account the need for proportionality between the seriousness of the infringement and the remedies to be ordered, the willingness of the infringer to convert the materials into a non-infringing state, as well as the interests of third parties.

Article 65

Decision on the validity of a patent

1. The Court shall decide on the validity of a patent on the basis of an action for revocation or a counterclaim for revocation.

2. The Court may revoke a patent, either entirely or partly, only on the grounds referred to in Articles 138(1) and 139(2) of the EPC.

3. Without prejudice to Article 138(3) of the EPC, if the grounds for revocation affect the patent only in part, the patent shall be limited by a corresponding amendment of the claims and revoked in part.

4. To the extent that a patent has been revoked it shall be deemed not to have had, from the outset, the effects specified in Articles 64 and 67 of the EPC.

Article 66

Powers of the Court concerning decisions of the European Patent Office

2. In actions brought under Article 32(1)(i) the parties shall, by way of derogation from Article 69, bear their own costs.

Article 67

Power to order the communication of information

1. The Court may, in response to a justified and proportionate request of the applicant and in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, order an infringer to inform the applicant of: a) the origin and distribution channels of the infringing products or processes; b) the quantities produced, manufactured, delivered, received or ordered, as well as the price obtained for the

infringing products; and c) the identity of any third person involved in the production or distribution of the infringing products or in the

use of the infringing process.

2. The Court may, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, also order any third party who: a) was found in the possession of the infringing products on a commercial scale or to be using an infringing

process on a commercial scale; b) was found to be providing on a commercial scale services used in infringing activities; or c) was indicated by the person referred to in points (a) or (b) as being involved in the production, manufacture

or distribution of the infringing products or processes or in the provision of the services, to provide the applicant with the information referred to in paragraph 1.

Article 68

Award of damages

1. The Court shall, at the request of the injured party, order the infringer who knowingly, or with reasonable grounds to know, engaged in a patent infringing activity, to pay the injured party damages appropriate to the harm actually suffered by that party as a result of the infringement.

3. When the Court sets the damages: a) it shall take into account all appropriate aspects, such as the negative economic consequences, including

lost profits, which the injured party has suffered, any unfair profits made by the infringer and, in appropriate cases, elements other than economic factors, such as the moral prejudice caused to the injured party by the infringement; or

b) as an alternative to point (a), it may, in appropriate cases, set the damages as a lump sum on the basis of elements such as at least the amount of the royalties or fees which would have been due if the infringer had requested authorisation to use the patent in question.

4. Where the infringer did not knowingly, or with reasonable grounds to know, engage in the infringing activity, the Court may order the recovery of profits or the payment of compensation.

Article 69

Legal costs

1. Reasonable and proportionate legal costs and other expenses incurred by the successful party shall, as a general rule, be borne by the unsuccessful party, unless equity requires otherwise, up to a ceiling set in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

2. Where a party succeeds only in part or in exceptional circumstances, the Court may order that costs be apportioned equitably or that the parties bear their own costs.

3. A party should bear any unnecessary costs it has caused the Court or another party.

4. At the request of the defendant, the Court may order the applicant to provide adequate security for the legal costs and other expenses incurred by the defendant which the applicant may be liable to bear, in particular in the cases referred to in Articles 59 to 62.

Article 70

Court fees

1. Parties to proceedings before the Court shall pay court fees.

Article 71

Legal aid

2. The Court shall decide whether legal aid should be granted in full or in part, or whether it should be refused, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

3. On a proposal from the Court, the Administrative Committee shall set the level of legal aid and the rules on bearing the costs thereof.

Article 72

Period of limitation

Without prejudice to Article 24(2) and (3), actions relating to all forms of financial compensation may not be brought more than five years after the date on which the applicant became aware, or had reasonable grounds to become aware, of the last fact justifying the action.

CHAPTER V

Appeals

Article 73

Appeal

2. An appeal against an order of the Court of First Instance may be brought before the Court of Appeal by any party which has been unsuccessful, in whole or in part, in its submissions: a) for the orders referred to in Articles 49(5), 59 to 62 and 67 within 15 calendar days of the notification of the

order to the applicant; b) for other orders than the orders referred to in point (a):

i) together with the appeal against the decision, or ii) where the Court grants leave to appeal, within 15 days of the notification of the Court's decision to

that effect.

3. The appeal against a decision or an order of the Court of First Instance may be based on points of law and matters of fact.

4. New facts and new evidence may only be introduced in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and where the submission thereof by the party concerned could not reasonably have been expected during proceedings before the Court of First Instance.

Article 74

Effects of an appeal

1. An appeal shall not have suspensive effect unless the Court of Appeal decides otherwise at the motivated request of one of the parties. The Rules of Procedure shall guarantee that such a decision is taken without delay.

2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, an appeal against a decision on actions or counterclaims for revocation and on actions based on Article 32(1)(i) shall always have suspensive effect.

3. An appeal against an order referred to in Articles 49(5), 59 to 62 or 67 shall not prevent the continuation of the main proceedings. However, the Court of First Instance shall not give a decision in the main proceedings before the decision of the Court of Appeal concerning an appealed order has been given.

Article 75

Decision on appeal and referral back

1. If an appeal pursuant to Article 73 is well-founded, the Court of Appeal shall revoke the decision of the Court of First Instance and give a final decision. The Court of Appeal may in exceptional cases and in accordance with the Rules of Procedure refer the case back to the Court of First Instance for decision.

2. Where a case is referred back to the Court of First Instance pursuant to paragraph 1, the Court of First Instance shall be bound by the decision of the Court of Appeal on points of law.

CHAPTER VI

Decisions

Article 76

Basis for decisions and right to be heard

1. The Court shall decide in accordance with the requests submitted by the parties and shall not award more than is requested.

3. The Court shall evaluate evidence freely and independently.

Article 77

Formal requirements

1. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be reasoned and shall be given in writing in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

2. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be delivered in the language of proceedings.

Article 78

Decisions of the Court and dissenting opinions

1. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be taken by a majority of the panel, in accordance with the Statute. In case of equal votes, the vote of the presiding judge shall prevail.

2. In exceptional circumstances, any judge of the panel may express a dissenting opinion separately from the decision of the Court.

Article 79

Settlement

The parties may, at any time in the course of proceedings, conclude their case by way of settlement, which shall be confirmed by a decision of the Court. A patent may not be revoked or limited by way of settlement.

Article 80

Publication of decisions

The Court may order, at the request of the applicant and at the expense of the infringer, appropriate measures for the dissemination of information concerning the Court's decision, including displaying the decision and publishing it in full or in part in public media.

Article 81

Rehearing

1. A request for rehearing after a final decision of the Court may exceptionally be granted by the Court of Appeal in the following circumstances: a) on discovery of a fact by the party requesting the rehearing, which is of such a nature as to be a decisive

factor and which, when the decision was given, was unknown to the party requesting the rehearing; such request may only be granted on the basis of an act which was held, by a final decision of a national court, to constitute a criminal offence; or

b) in the event of a fundamental procedural defect, in particular when a defendant who did not appear before the Court was not served with the document initiating the proceedings or an equivalent document in sufficient time and in such a way as to enable him to arrange for the defence.

2. A request for a rehearing shall be filed within 10 years of the date of the decision but not later than two months from the date of the discovery of the new fact or of the procedural defect. Such request shall not have suspensive effect unless the Court of Appeal decides otherwise.

3. If the request for a rehearing is well-founded, the Court of Appeal shall set aside, in whole or in part, the decision under review and re-open the proceedings for a new trial and decision, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

4. Persons using patents which are the subject-matter of a decision under review and who act in good faith should be allowed to continue using such patents.

Article 82

Enforcement of decisions and orders

1. Decisions and orders of the Court shall be enforceable in any Contracting Member State. An order for the enforcement of a decision shall be appended to the decision by the Court.

2. Where appropriate, the enforcement of a decision may be subject to the provision of security or an equivalent assurance to ensure compensation for any damage suffered, in particular in the case of injunctions.

PART IV

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Article 83

Transitional regime

1. During a transitional period of seven years after the date of entry into force of this Agreement, an action for infringement or for revocation of a European patent or an action for infringement or for declaration of invalidity of a supplementary protection certificate issued for a product protected by a European patent may still be brought before national courts or other competent national authorities.

2. An action pending before a national court at the end of the transitional period shall not be affected by the expiry of this period.

3. Unless an action has already been brought before the Court, a proprietor of or an applicant for a European patent granted or applied for prior to the end of the transitional period under paragraph 1 and, where applicable, paragraph 5, as well as a holder of a supplementary protection certificate issued for a product protected by a European patent, shall have the possibility to opt out from the exclusive competence of the Court. To this end they shall notify their opt-out to the Registry by the latest one month before expiry of the transitional period. The opt-out shall take effect upon its entry into the register.

4. Unless an action has already been brought before a national court, proprietors of or applicants for European patents or holders of supplementary protection certificates issued for a product protected by a European patent who made use of the opt-out in accordance with paragraph 3 shall be entitled to withdraw their opt-out at any moment. In this event they shall notify the Registry accordingly. The withdrawal of the opt-out shall take effect upon its entry into the register.

5. Five years after the entry into force of this Agreement, the Administrative Committee shall carry out a broad consultation with the users of the patent system and a survey on the number of European patents and supplementary protection certificates issued for products protected by European patents with respect to which actions for infringement or for revocation or declaration of invalidity are still brought before the national courts pursuant to paragraph 1, the reasons for this and the implications thereof. On the basis of this consultation and an opinion of the Court, the Administrative Committee may decide to prolong the transitional period by up to seven years.

PART V

FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 84

Signature, ratification and accession

1. This Agreement shall be open for signature by any Member State on 19 February 2013.

2. This Agreement shall be subject to ratification in accordance with the respective constitutional requirements of the Member States. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as »the depositary«).

3. Each Member State having signed this Agreement shall notify the European Commission of its ratification of the Agreement at the time of the deposit of its ratification instrument pursuant to Article 18(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1257/2012.

4. This Agreement shall be open to accession by any Member State. Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the depositary.

Article 85

Functions of the depositary

1. The depositary shall draw up certified true copies of this Agreement and shall transmit them to the governments of all signatory or acceding Member States.

2. The depositary shall notify the governments of the signatory or acceding Member States of: a) any signature; b) the deposit of any instrument of ratification or accession; c) the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

3. The depositary shall register this Agreement with the Secretariat of the United Nations.

Article 86

Duration of the Agreement

This Agreement shall be of unlimited duration.

Article 87

Revision

1. Either seven years after the entry into force of this Agreement or once 2.000 infringement cases have been decided by the Court, whichever is the later point in time, and if necessary at regular intervals thereafter, a broad consultation with the users of the patent system shall be carried out by the Administrative Committee on the functioning, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the Court and on the trust and confidence of users of the patent system in the quality of the Court's decisions. On the basis of this consultation and an opinion of the Court, the Administrative Committee may decide to revise this Agreement with a view to improving the functioning of the Court.

2. The Administrative Committee may amend this Agreement to bring it into line with an international treaty relating to patents or Union law.

Article 88

Languages of the Agreement

1. This Agreement is drawn up in a single original in the English, French and German languages, each text being equally authentic.

2. The texts of this Agreement drawn up in official languages of Contracting Member States other than those specified in paragraph 1 shall, if they have been approved by the Administrative Committee, be considered as official texts. In the event of divergences between the various texts, the texts referred to in paragraph 1 shall prevail.

Article 89

Entry into force

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on 1 January 2014 or on the first day of the fourth month after the deposit of the thirteenth instrument of ratification or accession in accordance with Article 84, including the three Member States in which the highest number of European patents had effect in the year preceding the year in which the signature of the Agreement takes place or on the first day of the fourth month after the date of entry into force of the amendments to Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 concerning its relationship with this Agreement, whichever is the latest.

2. Any ratification or accession after the entry into force of this Agreement shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month after the deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession.

In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Agreement,

Voor he, Koninkrijk B<,lgic Pour le Royaume de Belgique Fiir das KOnigreich Helgien

For the Kingdom of Belgium

3a Peny6mtKa 61,nrap1U1 Fur die Republik Bulgarien For the Republic of Bulgaria Pour la Rtpublique de Bul~arie

Za teskou rcpubliku Fur die T.schcchische Rcpublik

For the Czech Republic

Pour la Republique tchequc

For Kongeriget Oanmark Fiir das Konigreich Oanemark For the Kingdom of Denmark Pour le Roy:,umc du Danemark

Fllr die Bundesrepub1ik Deutschland f-or 1he Federal Republic of Gemi,ny Pour la R(pub1ique ((d(rale d'Allemagne

Eesti Vabariigi nimel Fiir die Republik Estland

For the Republic of Es1oni• Pour la Republique d'E.sionie

Thar che.ann Na hEireann For Ireland

Fiir Irland Pour l'lrlande

rt(l Tll\' m11\1K1) L\ln( �OKpettiCl

Fiir die Hellenische Republik

r-or the Hellenic Republic Pour la Republique hellenique

Pour la Republique fran~ise Fiir die FranzOsischc Rcpublik For the French Republic

Per la Repubblica iraliana

Fiir die lta.lienische Republik For the Italian Republic

Pour la Rtpublique italienne

r10 ,.,1v Kvttp10.:,·1 &111-10.:potio

Fiir die Republik Zypem For the Republic of Cypnis

Pour la Republiquc de Chypre

Latvijas Republikas viirdJi -

Fiir die Republik Lettland For the Republic of Latvia

Pour la Republique de Lettonie

Licl'Uvos Respublikos vardu

Fiir die Republik Litauen Fol" the Republic of Lithuania

Pour la RCpublique de Litu:mie

Pour le Grand-Ouche de Luxembourg Fiir das Grossherzogtum Luxemburg

For the Grand Duchy of Lu,'°mbourg

l Magyarorstig l'CSztrol Fiir Ungam

For Hunga1y

Pour la Hongrie

}

Ghal Maha

Fi.ir Malta For Malta

Pour Mahe

Voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

Fiir das KOnigreich der Niederlande For the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Pour le Royaume des Pays-Bas

SJ Fiir die Republik Os1e1Teich For the Republic of Austria

Pour la RCpublique d'Auuiche

Pela Rep,iblica Po1uguesa

Fur die Portugiesische Republik For 1hc Portuguese Republic

Pour la RCpublique portugaise

Pentm Romania

Flil' Rumanien

For Romania Pour la Roumanie

2a Republiko Slovenijo Fiir die Republik Slowenien

For the Republic of Slovenia

Pour la Republique de Slovenie

Za Slovenskl1 republiku Fiir die Slowakische Republik

For the Slovak Republic Pour la Rcpublique slovaque

Suomen tasavalfan puolcs1a For Republiken Finland

Fiir die Rcpublik Finnland

f-or the Republic of Finland

ANNEX I

STATUTE OF THE UNIFIED PATENT COURT

Article 1

Scope of the Statute

This Statute contains institutional and financial arrangements for the Unified Patent Court as established under Article 1 of the Agreement.

CHAPTER I

JUDGES

Article 2

For Konungaiiket Sverige

Fiir das KOnigreich Schweden

For the Kingdom of Sweden Pour le Royaurne de Suede

For the United Kingdom of Great Britain ond Northern Ireland Fiir das Vcreinigte KOnigrcich•Grossbritannien und Nordirland Pour le Royaume-Uni-<le Gmnde-Bretagne et d'hiande du Nord

Eligibility of judges

1. Any person who is a national of a Contracting Member State and fulfils the conditions set out in Article 15 of the Agreement and in this Statute may be appointed as a judge.

2. Judges shall have a good command of at least one official language of the European Patent Office.

3. Experience with patent litigation which has to be proven for the appointment pursuant to Article 15(1) of the Agreement may be acquired by training under Article 11(4)(a) of this Statute.

Article 3

Appointment of judges

1. Judges shall be appointed pursuant to the procedure set out in Article 16 of the Agreement.

2. Vacancies shall be publicly advertised and shall indicate the relevant eligibility criteria as set out in Article 2. The Advisory Committee shall give an opinion on candidates' suitability to perform the duties of a judge of the Court. The opinion shall comprise a list of most suitable candidates. The list shall contain at least twice as many candidates as there are vacancies. Where necessary, the Advisory Committee may recommend that, prior to the decision on the appointment, a candidate judge receive training in patent litigation pursuant to Article 11(4)(a).

4. The Administrative Committee shall appoint as many judges as are needed for the proper functioning of the Court. The Administrative Committee shall initially appoint the necessary number of judges for setting up at least one panel in each of the divisions of the Court of First Instance and at least two panels in the Court of Appeal.

5. The decision of the Administrative Committee appointing full-time or part-time legally qualified judges and full-time technically qualified judges shall state the instance of the Court and/or the division of the Court of First Instance for which each judge is appointed and the field(s) of technology for which a technically qualified judge is appointed.

6. Part-time technically qualified judges shall be appointed as judges of the Court and shall be included in the Pool of Judges on the basis of their specific qualifications and experience. The appointment of these judges to the Court shall ensure that all fields of technology are covered.

Article 4

Judges' term of office

1. Judges shall be appointed for a term of six years, beginning on the date laid down in the instrument of appointment. They may be re-appointed.

2. In the absence of any provision regarding the date, the term shall begin on the date of the instrument of appointment.

Article 5

Appointment of the members of the Advisory Committee

1. Each Contracting Member State shall propose a member of the Advisory Committee who fulfils the requirements set out in Article 14(2) of the Agreement.

2. The members of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed by the Administrative Committee acting by common accord.

Article 6

Oath

Before taking up their duties judges shall, in open court, take an oath to perform their duties impartially and conscientiously and to preserve the secrecy of the deliberations of the Court.

Article 7

Impartiality

1. Immediately after taking their oath, judges shall sign a declaration by which they solemnly undertake that, both during and after their term of office, they shall respect the obligations arising therefrom, in particular the duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits.

2. Judges may not take part in the proceedings of a case in which they: a) have taken part as adviser; b) have been a party or have acted for one of the parties; c) have been called upon to pronounce as a member of a court, tribunal, board of appeal, arbitration or

mediation panel, a commission of inquiry or in any other capacity; d) have a personal or financial interest in the case or in relation to one of the parties; or e) are related to one of the parties or the representatives of the parties by family ties.

3. If, for some special reason, a judge considers that he or she should not take part in the judgement or examination of a particular case, that judge shall so inform the President of the Court of Appeal accordingly or, in the case of judges of the Court of First Instance, the President of the Court of First Instance. If, for some special reason, the President of the Court of Appeal or, in the case of judges of the Court of First Instance, the President of the Court of First Instance considers that a judge should not sit or make submissions in a particular case, the President of the Court of Appeal or the President of the Court of First Instance shall justify this in writing and notify the judge concerned accordingly.

4. Any party to an action may object to a judge taking part in the proceedings on any of the grounds listed in paragraph 2 or where the judge is suspected, with good reason, of partiality.

5. Any difficulty arising as to the application of this Article shall be settled by decision of the Presidium, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. The judge concerned shall be heard but shall not take part in the deliberations.

Article 8

Immunity of judges

1. The judges shall be immune from legal proceedings. After they have ceased to hold office, they shall continue to enjoy immunity in respect of acts performed by them in relation to their official capacity.

2. The Presidium may waive the immunity.

3. Where immunity has been waived and criminal proceedings are instituted against a judge, that judge shall be tried, in any of the Contracting Member States, only by the court competent to judge the members of the highest national judiciary.

4. The Protocol on the privileges and immunities of the European Union shall apply to the judges of the Court, without prejudice to the provisions relating to immunity from legal proceedings of judges which are set out in this Statute.

Article 9

End of duties

1. Apart from replacement after expiry of a judge's term pursuant to Article 4, or death, the duties of a judge shall end when that judge resigns.

2. Where a judge resigns, the letter of resignation shall be addressed to the President of the Court of Appeal or, in the case of judges of the Court of First Instance, the President of the Court of First Instance for transmission to the Chairman of the Administrative Committee.

3. Save where Article 10 applies, a judge shall continue to hold office until that judge’s successor takes up his or her duties.

4. Any vacancy shall by filled by the appointment of a new judge for the remainder of his or her predecessor's term.

Article 10

Removal from office

1. A judge may be deprived of his or her office or of other benefits only if the Presidium decides that that judge no longer fulfils the requisite conditions or meets the obligations arising from his or her office. The judge concerned shall be heard but shall not take part in the deliberations.

2. The Registrar of the Court shall communicate this decision to the Chairman of the Administrative Committee.

3. In the case of a decision depriving a judge of his or her office, a vacancy shall arise upon that notification.

Article 11

Training

1. Appropriate and regular training of judges shall be provided for within the training framework set up under Article 19 of the Agreement. The Presidium shall adopt Training Regulations ensuring the implementation and overall coherence of the training framework.

2. The training framework shall provide a platform for the exchange of expertise and a forum for discussion, in particular by: a) organising courses, conferences, seminars, workshops and symposia; b) cooperating with international organisations and education institutes in the field of intellectual property; and c) promoting and supporting further vocational training.

3. An annual work programme and training guidelines shall be drawn up, which shall include for each judge an annual training plan identifying that judge's main training needs in accordance with the Training Regulations.

4. The training framework shall in addition: a) ensure appropriate training for candidate-judges and newly appointed judges of the Court; b) support projects aimed at facilitating cooperation between representatives, patent attorneys and the Court.

Article 12

Remuneration

The Administrative Committee shall set the remuneration of the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of First Instance, the judges, the Registrar, the Deputy-Registrar and the staff.

CHAPTER II

ORGANISATIONAL PROVISIONS

SECTION 1

Common provisions

Article 13

President of the Court of Appeal

3. The President of the Court of Appeal shall direct the judicial activities and the administration of the Court of Appeal and chair the Court of Appeal sitting as a full Court.

4. If the office of the President of the Court of Appeal falls vacant before the date of expiry of his or her term, a successor shall be elected for the remainder thereof.

Article 14

President of the Court of First Instance

1. The President of the Court of First Instance shall be elected by all judges of the Court of First Instance who are full-time judges, for a term of three years, from among their number. The President of the Court of First Instance may be re-elected twice.

2. The first President of the Court of First Instance shall be a national of the Contracting Member State hosting the seat of the central division.

3. The President of the Court of First Instance shall direct the judicial activities and the administration of the Court of First Instance.

4. Article 13(2) and (4), shall by analogy apply to the President of the Court of First Instance.

Article 15

Presidium

1. The Presidium shall be composed of the President of the Court of Appeal, who shall act as chairperson, the President of the Court of First Instance, two judges of the Court of Appeal elected from among their number, three judges of the Court of First Instance who are full-time judges of the Court elected from among their number, and the Registrar as a non-voting member.

2. The Presidium shall exercise its duties in accordance with this Statute. It may, without prejudice to its own responsibility, delegate certain tasks to one of its members.

3. The Presidium shall be responsible for the management of the Court and shall in particular: a) draw up proposals for the amendment of the Rules of Procedure in accordance with Article 41 of the

Agreement and proposals regarding the Financial Regulations of the Court; b) prepare the annual budget, the annual accounts and the annual report of the Court and submit them to the

Budget Committee; c) establish the guidelines for the training programme for judges and supervise the implementation thereof; d) take decisions on the appointment and removal of the Registrar and the Deputy-Registrar; e) lay down the rules governing the Registry including the sub-registries; f) give an opinion in accordance with Article 83(5) of the Agreement.

4. Decisions of the Presidium referred to in Articles 7, 8, 10 and 22 shall be taken without the participation of the Registrar.

5. The Presidium can take valid decisions only when all members are present or duly represented. Decisions shall be taken by a majority of the votes.

Article 16

Staff

2. The Administrative Committee shall establish the Staff Regulations of officials and other servants of the Court.

Article 17

Judicial vacations

1. After consulting the Presidium, the President of the Court of Appeal shall establish the duration of judicial vacations and the rules on observing official holidays.

2. During the period of judicial vacations, the functions of the President of the Court of Appeal and of the President of the Court of First Instance may be exercised by any judge invited by the respective President to that effect. In cases of urgency, the President of the Court of Appeal may convene the judges.

3. The President of the Court of Appeal or the President of the Court of First Instance may, in proper circumstances, grant leave of absence to respectively judges of the Court of Appeal or judges of the Court of First Instance.

SECTION 2

The Court of First Instance

Article 18

Setting up and discontinuance of a local or regional division

1. A request from one or more Contracting Member States for the setting up of a local or regional division shall be addressed to the Chairman of the Administrative Committee. It shall indicate the seat of the local or regional division.

2. The decision of the Administrative Committee setting up a local or regional division shall indicate the number of judges for the division concerned and shall be public.

3. The Administrative Committee shall decide to discontinue a local or regional division at the request of the Contracting Member State hosting the local division or the Contracting Member States participating in the regional division. The decision to discontinue a local or regional division shall state the date after which no new cases may be brought before the division and the date on which the division will cease to exist.

4. As from the date on which a local or regional division ceases to exist, the judges assigned to that local or regional division shall be assigned to the central division, and cases still pending before that local or regional division together with the sub-registry and all of its documentation shall be transferred to the central division.

Article 19

Panels

1. The allocation of judges and the assignment of cases within a division to its panels shall be governed by the Rules of Procedure. One judge of the panel shall be designated as the presiding judge, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

2. The panel may delegate, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, certain functions to one or more of its judges.

3. A standing judge for each division to hear urgent cases may be designated in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

4. In cases where a single judge in accordance with Article 8(7) of the Agreement, or a standing judge, in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Article, hears a case that judge shall carry out all functions of a panel.

5. One judge of the panel shall act as Rapporteur, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

Article 20

Pool of Judges

1. A list with the names of the judges included in the Pool of Judges shall be drawn up by the Registrar. In relation to each judge, the list shall at least indicate the linguistic skills, the field of technology and experience of, as well as the cases previously handled by, that judge.

2. A request addressed to the President of the Court of First Instance to assign a judge from the Pool of Judges shall indicate, in particular, the subject-matter of the case, the official language of the European Patent Office used by the judges of the panel, the language of the proceedings and the field of technology required.

SECTION 3

The Court of Appeal

Article 21

Panels

1. The allocation of judges and the assignment of cases to panels shall be governed by the Rules of Procedure. One judge of the panel shall be appointed as the presiding judge, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

2. When a case is of exceptional importance, and in particular when the decision may affect the unity and consistency of the case law of the Court, the Court of Appeal may decide, on the basis of a proposal from the presiding judge, to refer the case to the full Court.

3. The panel may delegate, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, certain functions to one or more of its judges.

4. One judge of the panel shall act as Rapporteur, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

SECTION 4

The Registry

Article 22

Appointment and removal from office of the Registrar

1. The Presidium shall appoint the Registrar of the Court for a term of six years. The Registrar may be re- appointed.

2. Two weeks before the date fixed for appointing the Registrar, the President of the Court of Appeal shall inform the Presidium of the applications which have been submitted for the post.

3. Before taking up his or her duties, the Registrar shall take oath before the Presidium to perform the duties of the Registrar impartially and conscientiously.

4. The Registrar may be removed from office only if the Registrar no longer meets the obligations arising from his or her office. The Presidium shall take its decision after having heard the Registrar.

5. If the office of the Registrar falls vacant before the date of expiry of the term thereof, the Presidium shall appoint a new Registrar for a term of six years.

6. If the Registrar is absent or prevented from attending or where such post is vacant, the President of the Court of Appeal after having consulted the Presidium shall designate a member of the staff of the Court to carry out the duties of the Registrar.

Article 23

Duties of the Registrar

1. The Registrar shall assist the Court, the President of the Court of Appeal, the President of the Court of First Instance and the judges in the performance of their functions. The Registrar shall be responsible for the organisation and activities of the Registry under the authority of the President of the Court of Appeal.

2. The Registrar shall in particular be responsible for: a) keeping the register which shall include records of all cases before the Court; b) keeping and administering lists drawn up in accordance with Articles 18, 48(3) and 57(2) of the Agreement; c) keeping and publishing a list of notifications and withdrawals of opt-outs in accordance with Article 83 of

the Agreement; d) publishing the decisions of the Court, subject to the protection of confidential information; e) publishing annual reports with statistical data; and f) ensuring that the information on opt-outs in accordance with Article 83 of the Agreement is notified to the

European Patent Office.

Article 24

Keeping of the register

1. Detailed rules for keeping the register of the Court shall be prescribed in the Rules governing the Registry, adopted by the Presidium.

2. The rules on access to documents of the Registry shall be provided for in the Rules of Procedure.

Article 25

Sub-registries and Deputy-Registrar

1. A Deputy-Registrar shall be appointed for a term of six years by the Presidium. The Deputy-Registrar may be re-appointed.

2. Article 22(2) to (6) shall apply by analogy.

3. The Deputy-Registrar shall be responsible for the organisation and activities of sub-registries under the authority of the Registrar and the President of the Court of First Instance. The duties of the Deputy-Registrar shall in particular include: a) keeping records of all cases before the Court of First Instance; b) notifying every case before the Court of First Instance to the Registry.

4. The Deputy-Registrar shall also provide administrative and secretarial assistance to the divisions of the Court of First Instance.

CHAPTER III

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

Article 26

Budget

1. The budget shall be adopted by the Budget Committee on a proposal from the Presidium. It shall be drawn up in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles laid down in the Financial Regulations, established in accordance with Article 33.

2. Within the budget, the Presidium may, in accordance with the Financial Regulations, transfer funds between the various headings or subheadings.

3. The Registrar shall be responsible for the implementation of the budget in accordance with the Financial Regulations.

4. The Registrar shall annually make a statement on the accounts of the preceding financial year relating to the implementation of the budget which shall be approved by the Presidium.

Article 27

Authorisation for expenditure

1. The expenditure entered in the budget shall be authorised for the duration of one accounting period unless the Financial Regulations provide otherwise.

2. In accordance with the Financial Regulations, any appropriations, other than those relating to staff costs, which are unexpended at the end of the accounting period may be carried forward, but not beyond the end of the following accounting period.

3. Appropriations shall be set out under different headings according to type and purpose of the expenditure, and subdivided, to the extent necessary, in accordance with the Financial Regulations.

Article 28

Appropriations for unforeseeable expenditure

1. The budget of the Court may include appropriations for unforeseeable expenditure.

2. The employment of these appropriations by the Court shall be subject to the prior approval of the Budget Committee.

Article 29

Accounting period

The accounting period shall commence on 1 January and end on 31 December.

Article 30

Preparation of the budget

The Presidium shall submit the draft budget of the Court to the Budget Committee no later than the date prescribed in the Financial Regulations.

Article 31

Provisional budget

1. If, at the beginning of the accounting period, the budget has not been adopted by the Budget Committee, expenditure may be effected on a monthly basis per heading or other division of the budget, in accordance with the Financial Regulations, up to one-twelfth of the budget appropriations for the preceding accounting period, provided that the appropriations thus made available to the Presidium do not exceed one-twelfth of those provided for in the draft budget.

2. The Budget Committee may, subject to the observance of the other provisions laid down in paragraph 1, authorise expenditure in excess of one-twelfth of the budget appropriations for the preceding accounting period.

Article 32

Auditing of accounts

1. The annual financial statements of the Court shall be examined by independent auditors. The auditors shall be appointed and if necessary dismissed by the Budget Committee.

2. The audit, which shall be based on professional auditing standards and shall take place, if necessary, in situ, shall ascertain that the budget has been implemented in a lawful and proper manner and that the financial administration of the Court has been conducted in accordance with the principles of economy and sound financial management. The auditors shall draw up a report after the end of each accounting period containing a signed audit opinion.

3. The Presidium shall submit to the Budget Committee the annual financial statements of the Court and the annual budget implementation statement for the preceding accounting period, together with the auditors' report.

4. The Budget Committee shall approve the annual accounts together with the auditors' report and shall discharge the Presidium in respect of the implementation of the budget.

Article 33

Financial Regulations

1. The Financial Regulations shall be adopted by the Administrative Committee. They shall be amended by the Administrative Committee on a proposal from the Court.

2. The Financial Regulations shall lay down in particular: a) arrangements relating to the establishment and implementation of the budget and for the rendering and

auditing of accounts; b) the method and procedure whereby the payments and contributions, including the initial financial

contributions provided for in Article 37 of the Agreement are to be made available to the Court; c) the rules concerning the responsibilities of authorising and accounting officers and the arrangements for

their supervision; and d) the generally accepted accounting principles on which the budget and the annual financial statements are to

be based.

CHAPTER IV

PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS

Article 34

Secrecy of deliberations

The deliberations of the Court shall be and shall remain secret.

Article 35

Decisions

2. In the event of one of the judges of a panel being prevented from attending, a judge from another panel may be called upon to sit in accordance with the Rules of Procedure.

3. In cases where this Statute provides that the Court of Appeal shall take a decision sitting as a full court, such decision shall be valid only if it is taken by at least 3/4 of the judges comprising the full court.

4. Decisions of the Court shall contain the names of the judges deciding the case.

5. Decisions shall be signed by the judges deciding the case, by the Registrar for decisions of the Court of Appeal, and by the Deputy-Registrar for decisions of the Court of First Instance. They shall be read in open court.

Article 36

Dissenting opinions

Article 37

Decision by default

1. At the request of a party to an action, a decision by default may be given in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, where the other party, after having been served with a document instituting proceedings or with an equivalent document, fails to file written submissions in defence or fails to appear at the oral hearing. An objection may be lodged against that decision within one month of it being notified to the party against which the default decision has been given.

2. The objection shall not have the effect of staying enforcement of the decision by default unless the Court decides otherwise.

Article 38

Questions referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union

1. The procedures established by the Court of Justice of the European Union for referrals for preliminary rulings within the European Union shall apply.

2. Whenever the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal has decided to refer to the Court of Justice of the European Union a question of interpretation of the Treaty on European Union or of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union or a question on the validity or interpretation of acts of the institutions of the European Union, it shall stay its proceedings.

ANNEX II

DISTRIBUTION OF CASES WITHIN THE CENTRAL DIVISION 15)

LONDON Section PARIS Seat MUNICH Section

(A) Human necessities

President's Office

(B) Performing operations, transporting

D) Textiles, paper

E) Fixed constructions

G) Physics

H) Electricity

(F) Mechanical engineering, lighting, heating, weapons, blasting

8) Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to veterinary medicinal products (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 1) including any subsequent amendments.

9) Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for

human use (OJ L 311, 28.11.2001, p. 67) including any subsequent amendments.

10) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), »Chicago Convention«, Document 7300/9 (9th edition, 2006).

11) Council Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 of 27 July 1994 on Community plant variety rights (OJ L 227, 1.9.1994, p. 1) including any subsequent amendments.

12) Directive 2009/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the legal protection of computer programs (OJ L 111, 5.5.2009, p. 16) including any subsequent amendments.

14) Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, done at Lugano on 30 October 2007, including any subsequent amendments.

15) The classification into 8 sections (A to H) is based on the International Patent Classification of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (http://www.wipo.int/classifications/ipc/en).

The Unified Patent Court etc. Act (Act No. 551 of June 2, 2014), Denmark

Available Materials