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Justice of the Supreme Court of Lithuania Goda Ambrasaitė-Balynienė has been appointed as a legally qualified judge of the Nordic-Baltic Regional Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC). She will assume these duties as of 1 March.

The Unified Patent Court is a common court of the Contracting Member States, established under the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court, which was signed by 24 Member States of the European Union. To date, 18 European Union Member States, including Lithuania, have ratified the Agreement. The Court commenced its operations on 1 June 2023, with the aim of ensuring uniform protection of European patents with unitary effect and traditional European patents, as well as the effective resolution of patent disputes across all participating states.

Justice G. Ambrasaitė-Balynienė states that this appointment constitutes a significant professional recognition, obliging her to contribute responsibly to the consistent development of European patent law practice in line with high standards. “It is an opportunity to strengthen a uniform and coherent European patent law practice, thereby increasing confidence in the patent protection system throughout Europe,” says G. Ambrasaitė-Balynienė.

The Unified Patent Court comprises a Court of First Instance and a Court of Appeal (seated in Luxembourg). The Court includes both legally and technically qualified judges. Under the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court, judges may combine their duties as national court judges with those of judges of the Unified Patent Court.

The Court of First Instance of the Unified Patent Court consists of a central division (with sections in Paris, Munich, and Milan), as well as local and regional divisions. Lithuania, together with Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden, has established the Nordic-Baltic Regional Division, which is seated in Stockholm. Each Contracting Member State participating in the work of the Nordic-Baltic Regional Division ensures the necessary infrastructure within its respective state for the hearing of cases.

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