Overview · Filed: Jan 27, 2025
UPC_CoA_71/2025
VAPORIZER
AppealsMain AppealCourt of AppealAppealCase Closed
Parties
Claimants
- NJOY Netherlands B.V.(Altria Group)
Reps: Henrik Holzapfel (McDermott Will & Emery)
Respondents
- VMR Products LLC
Reps: Bernhard Thum (Thum & Partner); Tobias Wuttke (Bardehle Pagenberg)
Judges
- Rian Kalden
- Ingeborg Simonsson
- Patricia Rombach
- Andrea Scilletta
- Wiem Samoud
Patents
- EP3456214
- EP 3 456 214
CPC codes: A61M2205/8237, H02J7/00, H02J7/751, A24F40/00, A61M2205/07, A24F40/50, A61M15/06, A61M2205/3633, A61M2205/584, A61M2205/8206, A61M2206/20, A61M2205/3368…
Sector: Pharmaceutical & Medical
Outcome
Revoked
Filed: Jan 27, 2025
First decided: Dec 29, 2025
Language: English
The Court of Appeal dismissed VMR Products' appeal against the Central Division decision revoking EP 3 456 214 (vaporiser/e-cigarette patent). All claims, including auxiliary requests and dependent claims 12–14, were found to lack inventive step, primarily in view of prior art document Pan. The appeal raised procedural issues about the permissibility of new invalidity grounds in the Defence to the Application to Amend (R. 43.3 RoP) and the admission of new evidence. VMR Products bears NJOY's costs up to the applicable ceiling.
Open on UPC RegistryClaims
At issue1, 11, 12
Revoked1, 11, 12
Notes: Appeal dismissed; all claims of EP 3 456 214 including claims 1, 11 and 12 (and auxiliary requests covering claims 12-14) revoked for lack of inventive step over prior art Pan.