UPC CFI 702/2024
Nov 21, 2024·EP4153830 Unitary patent · LOCK COMPRISING A SLIDER WHICH IS FLUSH RELATIVE TO A SOLE PLATE PROVIDED WITH A RECESS FOR RECEIVING A TRANSLATION STOP OF THE SLIDER
- Case details
- StatusCase Closed (Patent infringed)ActionInfringementCategoryMain infringement action
- Parties
- Claimants
- IMC CréationsOperating co.
Representatives- Renaud Gaglione
- Henri Bourgeois-cabinet Germain Maureau
Respondents- Mul-T-Lock FranceOperating co.
Representatives- Stanislas Roux-Vaillard-Hogan Lovells Cadwalader International LLP
- Adrien Bonnet-Hogan Lovells Cadwalader International LLP
- Division
- Paris LD
- Technology
- Other fieldsCivil engineering
- Language
- French
- First decided
- Jan 16, 2026
| Infringement found | Median days to first decision | |
|---|---|---|
| All UPC | 53% (62/117) | 124 |
| Paris LD | Locked | Locked |
| Judge Camille Lignières | Locked | Locked |
| Judge Carine Gillet | Locked | Locked |
| Judge Rute Lopes | Locked | Locked |
| Judge Michel Abello | Locked | Locked |
At the UPC: IMC Créations (3 cases)·Mul-T-Lock France (3 cases)
This dispute contains 2 other proceedings
- 2026-01-16Infringement ActionPublic
Summary: Final decision (in French) in infringement action by IMC Créations against Mul-T-Lock France (EP 4 153 830, unitary patent - lock/padlock). Court found that the MVP 1000 padlock infringed the amended claims 1 and 6 of the unitary patent as limited. Revocation counterclaim rejected (claims 1 and 6 of the amended patent valid). Injunction and corrective measures (recall, removal from channels, destruction) ordered, with a 3-month delay before enforcement per parties' agreement. Disclosure of commercial information ordered. Mul-T-Lock to bear 90% of costs. Claims on the Swiss part of the patent rejected. Key headnotes: amended unitary patent takes effect from original grant date; national parts of European patent in non-UPC states assessed against the patent as originally granted.
Show the legal issues (5)
- Infringement of unitary patent (amended claims)
- Effect date of unconditional patent limitation
- National parts of European patent outside UPC assessed on original claims
- Common general knowledge and non-public documents
- Injunction with agreed 3-month delay
| Document title | Date | Public |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | 2026-04-01 | Not public |
| Order | 2026-03-13 | Not public |
| Order | 2026-03-13 | Not public |
| Communication | 2026-03-13 | Not public |
| Receipt | 2026-03-12 | Not public |
| Cover sheet | 2026-03-12 | Not public |
| Application document Defendant | 2026-03-12 | Not public |
| Order | 2026-02-16 | Not public |
| Order | 2026-02-16 | Not public |
| Receipt | 2026-02-13 | Not public |
IMC Créations (France) sued Mul-T-Lock France for infringement of unitary patent UP 4 153 830 (a lock with a flush slider and sole plate recess) by the MVP 1000 padlock. The Paris Local Division upheld amended claims 1 and 6 as valid, found direct infringement since November 2023, granted an injunction and corrective measures (with a 3-month delay agreed by the parties), and ordered information disclosure; Mul-T-Lock bears 90% of costs. Claims relating to the non-UPCA Swiss national part were rejected.
Amended claims 1 and 6 of unitary patent UP 4 153 830 are valid (novelty and inventive step confirmed)
ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 54, 56 EPC; inventive step; common general knowledgeNote: Paris Local Division rejected Mul-T-Lock's invalidity challenge to the amended claims, confirming the patent's validity; the court held the skilled person is merely an executor and that non-publicly-accessible documents do not form common general knowledge.
MVP 1000 padlock manufactured and marketed by Mul-T-Lock infringes amended claims 1 and 6
ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 25 UPCA; direct infringementNote: Court found infringement of the amended unitary patent's claims 1 and 6 since 1 November 2023 (the unitary patent's grant date).
Amended unitary patent takes effect from the original grant date of the European patent
ClaimantLegal basis: Headnote 1; unitary patent lawNote: Court confirmed that an unconditionally amended European patent that became unitary takes effect from the original grant date, not the amendment date.
Counterclaim for nullity of claims 1 and 6 of the amended patent and subsidiary requests
RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC; common general knowledge definitionReason: Dismissed in full; non-publicly-accessible documents cannot form common general knowledge; the skilled person has no creative latitude beyond executing what the art teaches.
Infringement of the Swiss national part of the patent should also be found
ClaimantLegal basis: Headnote 2; territorial scope of UPCAReason: Switzerland is not a UPCA member state; infringement of the national Swiss part must be assessed against the patent as originally granted, and there was a non-negligible risk of annulment by Swiss courts after the unconditional amendment; the court rejected that claim entirely.
Decision should be disseminated to Mul-T-Lock's customers
ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 68 UPCA; proportionalityReason: Request for publication of the decision to customers was rejected.
Browse other cases on this principle.
The amended claims 1 and 6 relate to a lock comprising a slider flush with a sole plate provided with a recess for receiving a translation stop; the slider includes a specific flange/countersink arrangement. The court found these features present in the MVP 1000 padlock. The Swiss national part was denied because the unconditional limitation creates divergence from the originally granted text, raising a risk of invalidity before Swiss courts.