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The EU reinvents the wheel: A study on the challenges of the Arbitration and Mediation Centre in the Unified Patent System

Rauer, Viktor LU (2020) JURM02 20201
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
The Unitary Patent is a patent proposed by the EU that will make it possible for inventors to protect their inventions in all Member States by submitting a single patent application. This is intended to simplify the patent application procedure and mitigate the associated costs. The new patent is to be enforced under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court. The Court is envisioned to provide swift decisions of high quality in disputes concerning the Unitary Patent. Together with the Court, an Arbitration and Mediation Centre is to be established, which is intended to complement the Court by offering a cost and time effective alternative to litigation. By introducing the Centre, the EU is for the first time sanctioning... (More)
The Unitary Patent is a patent proposed by the EU that will make it possible for inventors to protect their inventions in all Member States by submitting a single patent application. This is intended to simplify the patent application procedure and mitigate the associated costs. The new patent is to be enforced under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court. The Court is envisioned to provide swift decisions of high quality in disputes concerning the Unitary Patent. Together with the Court, an Arbitration and Mediation Centre is to be established, which is intended to complement the Court by offering a cost and time effective alternative to litigation. By introducing the Centre, the EU is for the first time sanctioning arbitration as a tool for solving IP disputes. Thus, the Centre will compete with established private arbitration and mediation institutes.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse what legal challenges the Arbitration and Mediation Centre is facing and make suggestions to how they should handle these challenges. International commercial disputes are frequently resolved by means of arbitration and mediation. Patent disputes are also regularly arbitrated and mediated in non-governmental forums and concluded in private arrangement. This thesis analyses whether the procedural rules and institutional set up of the Centre is appealing to the needs of the parties.

The results of this thesis show that arbitration and mediation are chosen over court litigation due to among other things flexibility, autonomy and confidentiality. These advantages are especially appreciated in patent disputes. The Arbitration and Mediation Centre seems to be limiting the choice of law, thus restricting the flexibility and autonomy of the parties. In a similar way, the Centre seems to be bound by transparency rules, which may conflict with the confidentiality. The results of this thesis suggest that there is more work to be done by the EU to appeal to the needs of the parties and to be able to compete with the most popular private institutes. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Det enhetliga patentet är ett patent som föreslagits av EU som kommer att
göra det möjligt för uppfinnare att skydda sina uppfinningar i samtliga
medlemsstater genom att lämna in en enda patentansökan. Detta är avsett att förenkla patentansökan och minska de tillhörande kostnaderna. Det nya
patentet kommer att kunna verkställas av den enhetliga patentdomstolen, som har exklusiv behörighet. Domstolen planeras att tillhandahålla snabba beslut av hög kvalitet i tvister som rör det enhetliga patentet. Vid sidan av domstolen kommer ett skiljedoms- och medlingsinstitut, the Arbitration and Mediation Centre, att inrättas som är avsett att komplettera domstolen genom att erbjuda ett kostnads- och tidseffektivt alternativ till rättegång. Genom... (More)
Det enhetliga patentet är ett patent som föreslagits av EU som kommer att
göra det möjligt för uppfinnare att skydda sina uppfinningar i samtliga
medlemsstater genom att lämna in en enda patentansökan. Detta är avsett att förenkla patentansökan och minska de tillhörande kostnaderna. Det nya
patentet kommer att kunna verkställas av den enhetliga patentdomstolen, som har exklusiv behörighet. Domstolen planeras att tillhandahålla snabba beslut av hög kvalitet i tvister som rör det enhetliga patentet. Vid sidan av domstolen kommer ett skiljedoms- och medlingsinstitut, the Arbitration and Mediation Centre, att inrättas som är avsett att komplettera domstolen genom att erbjuda ett kostnads- och tidseffektivt alternativ till rättegång. Genom att EU inför institutet sanktionerar EU för första gången skiljedom som ett verktyg för att lösa immaterialrättsliga tvister. Institutet kommer därför att konkurrera med redan etablerade, privata skiljedoms- och medlingsinstitut.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera vilka rättsliga utmaningar som
institutet står inför och komma med förslag på hur det ska lösa dessa
utmaningar. Internationella kommersiella tvister avgörs regelbundet med
hjälp av skiljeförfarande och medling. Även patenttvister avgörs genom
skiljeförfarande och medling i icke-statliga forum med privata avtal som
resultat. Denna uppsats analyserar huruvida institutets processuella regler och institutionella former tilltalar parterna.

Resultaten av denna uppsats visar att skiljeförfarande och medling väljs
framför rättegång på grund av bland annat flexibilitet, autonomi och
konfidentialitet. Dessa fördelar värdesätts särskilt i patenttvister. Det nya skiljedoms- och medlingsinstitutet verkar begränsa lagvalen och inskränker därmed parternas flexibilitet och autonomi. På liknande sätt verkar institutet vara bundet av regler om transparens, vilka riskerar att hamn i konflikt med konfidentialiteten. Resultatet av denna uppsats tyder på att det krävs mer arbete av EU för att appellera till parternas behov och kunna konkurrera med de populäraste privata instituten. (Less)
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author
Rauer, Viktor LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20201
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
EU law, patent law, arbitration, mediation, IP law, private international law, law and economics, comparative law
language
English
id
9010912
date added to LUP
2020-06-15 11:54:49
date last changed
2020-06-15 11:54:49
@misc{9010912,
  abstract     = {{The Unitary Patent is a patent proposed by the EU that will make it possible for inventors to protect their inventions in all Member States by submitting a single patent application. This is intended to simplify the patent application procedure and mitigate the associated costs. The new patent is to be enforced under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Unified Patent Court. The Court is envisioned to provide swift decisions of high quality in disputes concerning the Unitary Patent. Together with the Court, an Arbitration and Mediation Centre is to be established, which is intended to complement the Court by offering a cost and time effective alternative to litigation. By introducing the Centre, the EU is for the first time sanctioning arbitration as a tool for solving IP disputes. Thus, the Centre will compete with established private arbitration and mediation institutes. 

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse what legal challenges the Arbitration and Mediation Centre is facing and make suggestions to how they should handle these challenges. International commercial disputes are frequently resolved by means of arbitration and mediation. Patent disputes are also regularly arbitrated and mediated in non-governmental forums and concluded in private arrangement. This thesis analyses whether the procedural rules and institutional set up of the Centre is appealing to the needs of the parties. 

The results of this thesis show that arbitration and mediation are chosen over court litigation due to among other things flexibility, autonomy and confidentiality. These advantages are especially appreciated in patent disputes. The Arbitration and Mediation Centre seems to be limiting the choice of law, thus restricting the flexibility and autonomy of the parties. In a similar way, the Centre seems to be bound by transparency rules, which may conflict with the confidentiality. The results of this thesis suggest that there is more work to be done by the EU to appeal to the needs of the parties and to be able to compete with the most popular private institutes.}},
  author       = {{Rauer, Viktor}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The EU reinvents the wheel: A study on the challenges of the Arbitration and Mediation Centre in the Unified Patent System}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}