European Patent Litigation in the Shadow of the Unified Patent Court

What will European patent litigation look like in 10 years time? With the coming into force of seismic reforms, European Patent Litigation in the Shadow of the Unified Patent Court combines close analysis of the current regime with a novel use of qualitative survey data to assess the introduction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and the new European Patent with Unitary Effect.

Not long ago only scant data were publicly available on the subject of patent litigation in EU member states. Using recently published data, Luke McDonagh paints a detailed picture of the patent litigation system in the key European jurisdictions of the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands. He then outlines the rationale for reform - the perceived need to provide a more efficient, cost effective, harmonious litigation system - as well as the structure of the key reformative innovations. Making use of evidence from within the business and legal communities, this book highlights the key issues concerning the new system and examines what the impact of the reforms is likely to be on Europe's patent litigation system in the near future.

This illuminating book will be useful to scholars, including postgraduate students, practitioners and policy makers wishing to learn more about the future of patent litigation in Europe.

Luke McDonagh, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK