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UPC CoA 623/2025

Jul 3, 2025·EP2778423 · Centrifugal pump assembly

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Case details
Status
Case Closed (Patent partly revoked)
Action
Appeal
Category
Main appeal
Parties
Respondents
Representatives
Division
Court of Appeal
Judges
Technology
  • Mechanical engineering
    Engines, pumps, turbines
Language
German
First decided
May 27, 2026
How this compares
How long the court takes to reach a first decision.
Median days to first decision
All UPC124
Judge Rian KaldenLocked
Judge Patricia RombachLocked
Judge Ingeborg SimonssonLocked
Judge Steven KitchenLocked
Judge Uwe AusfelderLocked

At the UPC: Hefei Xinhu Canned Motor Pump Co., Ltd. (6 cases)·Grundfos Holding A/S (7 cases)

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Related cases
All proceedings on this patent

This dispute contains 5 other proceedings

UPC CoA 622/2025·UPC CFI 426/2025·CC 26515/2024·UPC CFI 11/2024·UPC APP 8530/2025

1 other defendants litigating the same or a related patent

UPC CFI 835/2025

Start a free trial to see how each one ended.

More cases: Court of Appeal·2025

Decisions
  • 2026-05-27
    Appeal RoP220.2Public

    Summary: The Court of Appeal (UPC) reversed the Düsseldorf Local Division's first-instance decision, partially revoking EP 2 778 423 (claims 1–3, 5, and 11, to the extent not dependent on surviving claims) for lack of inventive step over prior art D5 combined with general technical knowledge, while maintaining claims 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10. As a consequence, the infringement action by Grundfos against Hefei was dismissed in full because the infringement allegations were based solely on the revoked claims and non-patentable auxiliary requests.

    Show the legal issues (9)
    • New submissions on appeal (R. 222.2 RoP) — admissibility threshold
    • Claim construction — distinction between 'Umschalten' (switching) and 'Zuschalten' (adding) external speed control
    • Claim construction — primacy of language of proceedings (German) over English translation (Art. 70(1) EPC)
    • Claim construction — consistent interpretation of identical terms across claim features
    • Lack of inventive step of claim 1 over DE 101 39 510 A1 (D5) combined with general technical knowledge
    • Admissibility of new prior-art combinations raised in nullity counterclaim on appeal
    • Validity of dependent claims 2–3, 5–11 and auxiliary requests
    • Dismissal of infringement action following partial revocation of patent
    • Refusal to stay proceedings pending separate nullity action
Documents
Show all 82 documents
Document titleDatePublic
Case closed2026-05-27Not public
Decision2026-05-27Not public
Decision2026-05-27Public
Decision2026-05-27Not public
Communication2026-05-26Not public
Receipt2026-03-12Not public
Cover sheet2026-03-12Not public
Document Respondent2026-03-12Not public
Oral procedure closed2026-02-26Not public
Hearing recording reference document2026-02-26Not public
Accepted arguments
What the court agreed with — by party.

  • Both parties correctly argued that 'Umschalten' means switching permanently to external speed control while 'Zuschalten' means switching on an as-needed/temporary basis — both ultimately constitute a switch to exclusive external control — contrary to the Local Division's interpretation

    RespondentLegal basis: Claim construction from patent description (Abs. 10, 12, 14); Art. 69 EPC

  • Claim 1 is not patentable for lack of inventive step starting from D5 (DE 101 39 510 A1) combined with general technical knowledge that circulation pumps are centrifugal pumps with electric motors

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPCA; R. 222.2 RoP

  • The infringement action must be dismissed because the infringement allegations rely solely on the revoked claims (1, 5, 11) and the non-patentable auxiliary requests

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 25 UPCA

  • Feature 4.2 (electronic means to determine whether external control is connected) is satisfied by detection of an external control signal without requiring active detection of disconnection or a dedicated handshaking mechanism

    ClaimantLegal basis: Claim construction; patent description Abs. 12, 27–28
Rejected arguments
What the court did not agree with — and why.

  • Claim 1 requires the means to be capable of both 'Umschalten' AND 'Zuschalten' cumulatively

    RespondentLegal basis: Claim construction — 'oder' (or) in claim 1 feature 4.1

  • The electronic means under feature 4.2 must actively detect the absence of external control and must include independent decision logic before switching

    RespondentLegal basis: Claim construction

  • New prior-art argument on appeal based on D5 as starting point in combination with D7 should be admitted as not being new (previously raised in reply to nullity counterclaim)

    RespondentLegal basis: R. 222.2 RoP

  • Proceedings should be stayed pending resolution of the separate nullity action filed by Shinhoo Europe S.r.l.

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56(1) UPCA; R. 118.2(a) RoP

  • Claim 4 (sensor/microswitch detecting physical connector engagement) lacks inventive step over D5 and D6

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPCA

  • Claim 6 (external control can activate/deactivate self-learning setpoint adaptation) lacks inventive step over D5 combined with D1 or D12

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPCA

  • Claim 7 (external switching means to reset self-learning adaptation and/or modify control curves) lacks inventive step over D5 combined with D7

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPCA

  • Claim 9 (separate speed control signals from other signals on same line via separation means) lacks inventive step over D1 or D2 with general technical knowledge

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPCA

  • Claim 10 (means to identify which heating circuit is being circulated in a multi-circuit system) lacks inventive step over D5/D7

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPCA