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UPC CFI 701/2024

Nov 19, 2024·EP2077811 · CLAY-BASED HEMOSTATIC AGENTS AND DEVICES FOR THE DELIVERY THEREOF

Action number: ACT 61342/2024

Case details
Status
Case Closed
Action
Provisional measures
Category
Provisional measures
Division
Hamburg LD
Technology
  • Instruments
    Medical technology
Language
English
First decided
Feb 21, 2025
EPO Opposition
  • CARL FREUDENBERG KG Patente und Marken2011-08-04
How this compares
The court's record for this kind of case, counted in first-instance rulings. A figure in brackets is the number of rulings a rate rests on.
Preliminary injunction grantedMedian days to first decision
All UPC54% (38/70)124
Hamburg LDLockedLocked
Judge Sabine KlepschLockedLocked
Judge Stefan JohanssonLockedLocked
Judge Stefan SchillingLockedLocked
Judge Jeroen MeewisseLockedLocked

At the UPC: Teleflex Life Sciences II LLC (6 cases)·Speed Care Mineral GmbH (6 cases)

Decisions
  • 2025-02-21
    Application for provisional measuresPublic

    Summary: The Hamburg Local Division dismissed Teleflex Life Sciences II LLC's application for provisional measures against Speed Care Mineral GmbH regarding hemostatic wound-care products, because Teleflex failed to demonstrate with sufficient certainty that the attacked embodiment contained a 'binder' as required by the patent claims, and the burden of proof was not reversed.

    Show the legal issues (3)
    • Burden of proof for patent infringement in provisional measures proceedings
    • Reversal of burden of proof threshold under Art. 62(2) UPCA and R. 209(2) RoP
    • Sufficiency of evidence for presence of claimed 'binder' element
Document titleDatePublic
FInalOrder2025-02-21Not public
Headnote-and-Keywords2025-02-21Not public
Measures_DecisionOutcome_Notification.pdf2025-02-21Not public
Order with grounds2025-02-21Not public
Order with grounds2025-02-21Public
Template-Order2025-02-21Not public
Order with grounds2025-02-21Not public
Closing workflow (ORD_5952_2025)2025-02-04Not public
Outcome of the Order2025-02-04Not public
Closing workflow2025-02-04Public
Plain-English summary

Teleflex Life Sciences applied for a preliminary injunction against Speed Care Mineral's hemostatic wound-care products based on EP 2 077 811. The Hamburg Local Division dismissed the application because Teleflex failed to demonstrate with the required certainty that the attacked product contained a 'binder' as claimed, and the burden of proof was not reversed in the applicant's favour. Since infringement could not be established, the court did not need to assess patent validity or other PI requirements.

Accepted arguments
What the court agreed with — by party.
  • Burden of proof for patent infringement lies with applicant and is not reversed without sufficient prior indication of infringement

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 62(2) UPCA; Rule 209(2) RoP

    Note: The Hamburg Local Division confirmed that the standard burden of proof on the applicant to establish infringement was not reversed in this case because Teleflex had not provided reasonable indications that the accused product contained a 'binder' as required by the claims.

Rejected arguments
What the court did not agree with — and why.
  • Attacked embodiment (Speed Care hemostatic gauze) contains a binder as required by patent claims

    ClaimantLegal basis: EP 2 077 811

    Reason: Teleflex failed to demonstrate with sufficient certainty that the attacked product contains a binder; the defendant's evidence (scanning electron microscope images from University of Greifswald) showed mechanical adhesion of halloysite to cellulose fiber without a binder, and Teleflex presented no contradicting evidence.

  • Burden of proof should be reversed because applicant has provided reasonable indications of infringement

    ClaimantLegal basis: Rule 209(2) RoP

    Reason: The court found that the applicant's evidence was insufficient to constitute 'reasonable indications and/or facts' that would reverse the burden of proof.

Claim construction notes

The central claim construction issue was the meaning of 'binder' in EP 2 077 811 (clay-based hemostatic agents). The court did not resolve this definitively because it found infringement not proven regardless: the defendant argued that halloysite nanotubes mechanically adhere to the Lyocell carrier via interlacing and electrostatic processes without a binder, and Teleflex could not disprove this.