Principles for the Rules of Procedure of the European Patent Court

On November 4, 2006, 26 European patent judges signed the Second Venice Resolution (Resolution) in which they agreed on the rules of procedure for the proposed European Patent Court (EPC). The Resolution proposes procedural guidelines for the consideration of the Executive Committee of the Court [the EPC?]. The European Patent Litigation Agreement, which provided for the creation of the EPC as a single forum to settle European patent litigation, was drafted in November 2003, but has not yet been implemented. The judges resolved to support the creation of the EPC last year. The Resolution outlines principles relating to the service of proceedings, general structure of proceedings and case management, protective measures, provisional measures, damages, appeals, enforcement and the competence of the Executive Committee of the EPC. It also sets out subsidiary principles, including the nationality of judges, patent counsel, court fees and the location of the Central Chambers. For the full text of the Resolution, see: http://makeashorterlink.com/?W50E26C3E For the full text of the EPLA, visit: http://www.european-patent-office.org/epo/epla/pdf/agreement_draft.pdf For a related news article, see: http://makeashorterlink.com/?N21E21C3E Summary by: Clare McCurley