Spider's Spider Web Inward Lux; Congratulations

Going to courtroom over the Spider's Web: no Hoffmanns are left behind ...

used to mean value that the Spaniards were real fond of long names. But afterward beingness prompted past times his splendidly-named friend Aurelio Lopez-Tarruella Martínez to weblog something on the Advocate General's Opinion inwards what nosotros English linguistic communication telephone weep upwardly "the Roche Case", he discovers that long Castilian names are zero every bit long every bit long Grand Duchy of Luxembourg names for references to the European Court of Justice. "The Roche Case" turns out to hold upwardly (in full) Case C-539/03 Roche Nederland BV, Roche Diagnostic Systems Inc., NV Roche SA, Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Produits Roche SA, Roche Products Ltd, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Hoffmann-La Roche Wien GmbH as well as Roche AB v Frederick Primus as well as Milton Goldenberg.

This illustration asks whether Article 6.1 of the Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction etc allows a patent possessor to sue all defendants inwards a multi-jurisdictional patent infringement dispute inwards the dwelling courtroom of only i of them, if that i is the 'spider inwards the web' who controls all the other infringements. Article 6.1 provides: "A individual domiciled inwards a Contracting State may too hold upwardly sued: 1. where he is i of a number of defendants, inwards the courts for the identify where whatever i of them is domiciled".

Regular readers of this weblog volition know that the Kat complains whenever a determination or Opinion isn't given inwards English, as well as this is no exception: you lot tin flame convey it inwards French, German, Greek, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Finnish or Swedish only. However, the IPKat has accessed the French version of the AG's recommendation to the courtroom as well as hence ran it through Babelfish. The number is that this

L’article 6, signal 1, de la convention du 27 septembre 1968 concernant la compétence judiciaire et l’exécution des décisions en matière civile et commerciale ... doit être interprété en ce sens qu’il n’a pas vocation à s’appliquer dans le cadre d’un litige en contrefaçon de brevet européen mettant en drive plusieurs sociétés, établies dans différents États contractants, pour des faits qui auraient été commis sur le territoire de chacun de ces États, même dans l’hypothèse où lesdites sociétés, appartenant à un même groupe, auraient agi de manière identique ou similaire, conformément à une politique commune qui aurait été élaborée par une seule d’entre elles.

has larn this

Article 6, signal 1, of the convention of September 27, 1968 concerning the jurisdiction as well as the execution of the decisions inwards civil as well as commercial matters ... should hold upwardly interpreted inwards the feel that it does non convey vocation to apply inside the framework of a litigation inwards counterfeit of European patent blaming several companies, established inwards diverse contracting States, for facts which would convey been made on the territory of each i of these States, fifty-fifty on the supposition that the aforementioned companies, pertaining to the same group, would convey acted inwards an identical or like way, inwards accordance with a mutual policy which would convey been worked out past times exclusively i of them.

Er, whatever ...

Tibor Gold's succinct summary is that "Article 6.1 does non apply inwards cross-border patent infringement cases, fifty-fifty when the defendants belong to i grouping or when at that topographic point is i key policy of i of the defendants that applies to all defendants".

Hoffmann-La Roche here
Tales of Hoffmann here and here
Another Tale of Hoffmann here


Congratulations, World Leaders!

notes the names of several of his friends alongside those listed inwards Informa's 2005 WorldLeaders European IP Awards. It would hold upwardly invidious to yell names, but the Kat is absolutely delighted to run across that Ruth Soetendorp (left), Martin Kretschmer and immature human blogger Edgar Forbes (alias the Media Beak) convey been honoured for "Best Achievement inwards IP Education as well as Training". They've worked hence difficult to set Bournemouth University on the map as well as it's wonderful to run across their endeavours recognised.