Visiting Scholars' Presentations Series - Fostering Judicial Coherence in the European Patent System: Lessons from the U.S.

After decades of negotiations, EU Member States finally agreed to establish a centralized and highly specialized patent judiciary, the Unified Patent Court (UPC). A primary goal in the establishment of the UPC is to enhance coherence in the interpretation of patent law in the fragmented European patent system. However, the UPC’s structure with its numerous divisions and its high level of specialization creates the risk of inconsistencies and isolation. As a consequence, the UPC may ultimately challenge judicial coherence. Similar risks have been experienced in the U.S. patent system.

Comparative research of the European and U.S. patent systems has helped to identify commonalities and potential solutions applicable to both systems. Ms. Federica Baldan, a participant in WCL’s International Visiting Scholar Program will share a summary of the findings from her research and will suggest mechanisms to enhance judicial coherence in patent systems.

Bio: Federica Baldan is a lawyer in Italy and a PhD researcher with the Faculty of Law at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. She holds a Bachelors and Master of Laws from University of Bologna, Italy and an LL.M. magna cum laude from Institute of European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.

This event is hosted by the International Visiting Scholars' Program and the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP).

* No RSVP necessary.
* To participate via Skype, please contact Federica Baldan at fbaldan@american.edu by May 8th. For further information, please contact ivsp@wcl.american.edu