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UPC CoA 920/2025

Dec 10, 2025·EP3215288 · SINTERED METAL PREPARATION AND ITS USE FOR JOINING COMPONENTS

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Case details
Status
Case Closed (Patent partly revoked)
Action
Appeal
Category
Main appeal
Parties
Claimants
Representatives
Respondents
Representatives
Division
Court of Appeal
Judges
Technology
  • Electrical engineering
    Semiconductors
  • Chemistry
    Materials, metallurgy
Language
German
First decided
Sep 16, 2026
How this compares
How long the court takes to reach a first decision.
Median days to first decision
All UPC124
Judge Ulrike VoßLocked
Judge Nathalie SabotierLocked
Judge Bart van den BroekLocked
Judge Max TilmannLocked
Judge Jeroen MeewisseLocked

At the UPC: Vibrantz GmbH (10 cases)·Heraeus Electronics GmbH & Co. KG (9 cases)

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Related cases
All proceedings on this patent

This dispute contains 8 other proceedings

UPC CoA 919/2025·UPC CFI 1510/2025·UPC CFI 114/2024·UPC APP 16059/2025·UPC APP 2369/2025 and 3 more

1 other defendants litigating the same or a related patent

UPC CFI 448/2024

Start a free trial to see how each one ended.

More cases: Court of Appeal·2025

Decisions
  • 2026-09-16
    AppealPublic

    Summary: Court of Appeal decision (Panel 3, 16 Sep 2026) in Heraeus Electronics v Vibrantz (EP 3 215 288, metal sintering preparation), on appeals against the Munich Local Division decision of 10 Oct 2025 (UPC_CFI_114/2024, UPC_CFI_448/2024): both appeals are dismissed. In Vibrantz's appeal on the counterclaim, full revocation is refused, so the first-instance partial revocation stands (FR/IT/RO parts revoked insofar as they go beyond the version upheld by the German Federal Patent Court; counterclaim against the DE part partly inadmissible given that national judgment). Vibrantz bears the costs of this appeal; value EUR 1,000,000.

    Show the legal issues (5)
    • Absolute procedural bar under R. 362 RoP / res judicata of a national (Federal Patent Court) nullity judgment determined by national law
    • Declaration of lack of knowledge under R. 171.2 RoP
    • Prior-use right in Germany
    • Risk of infringement in other Contracting Member States cannot be founded on lawful (prior-use) acts
    • Inventive step of a use claim
Documents
Document titleDatePublic
Case closed2026-09-16Not public
Publication of decision2026-09-16Not public
Decision2026-09-16Not public
Decision2026-09-16Public
Decision2026-09-16Not public
Deliberation opened2026-08-26Not public
Oral procedure closed2026-08-25Not public
Hearing recording reference document2026-08-25Not public
Order2026-08-19Not public
Order2026-08-19Public
Receipt2026-08-18Not public
Cover sheet2026-08-18Not public
Document2026-08-18Not public
Receipt2026-08-18Not public
Cover sheet2026-08-18Not public
Submission Respondent2026-08-18Not public
Order2026-08-18Not public
Order2026-08-18Public
Receipt2026-08-17Not public
Cover sheet2026-08-17Not public
Other document Appellant2026-08-17Not public
Order2026-08-10Not public
Order2026-08-10Public
Receipt2026-08-10Not public
Cover sheet2026-08-10Not public
Other document Appellant2026-08-10Not public
Oral procedure opened2026-05-08Not public
Written procedure closed2026-05-08Not public
Note2026-05-08Not public
Receipt2026-05-08Not public
Cover sheet2026-05-08Not public
Further pleadings2026-05-08Not public
Formal Deficiency found2026-05-08Not public
Receipt2026-05-08Not public
Cover sheet2026-05-08Not public
Statement of Response2026-05-08Not public
Receipt2026-03-11Not public
Cover sheet2026-03-11Not public
Document Respondent2026-03-11Not public
Receipt2026-03-10Not public
Cover sheet2026-03-10Not public
Submission Appellant2026-03-10Not public
Summons to oral hearing2026-03-04Not public
Summons2026-03-04Public
Receipt2026-02-18Not public
Cover sheet2026-02-18Not public
Exhibit Appellant2026-02-18Not public
Submission Appellant2026-02-18Not public
Order2026-02-11Not public
Order2026-02-11Public
Receipt2026-02-10Not public
Cover sheet2026-02-10Not public
Statement of the Grounds of Appeal2026-02-10Not public
Order2026-01-09Not public
Order2026-01-09Public
Publication2025-12-22Not public
Receipt2025-12-22Not public
Cover sheet2025-12-22Not public
Other document Appellant2025-12-22Not public
Exhibit document Appellant2025-12-22Not public
Formal Deficiency found2025-12-15Not public
Cover sheet2025-12-10Not public
Fee2025-12-10Not public
Other document Appellant2025-12-10Not public
Statement of Appeal2025-12-10Not public
Receipt2025-12-10Not public
Accepted arguments
What the court agreed with — by party.

  • The defendant holds a prior-use right in Germany for the silver sinter pastes made with SF30/SF70A flakes (objective and subjective possession of the invention before the priority date)

    RespondentLegal basis: prior-use right; Art. 28 UPCA

  • Lawful use in Germany under a prior-use right cannot found a risk of infringement in France, Italy or Romania; no imminent infringement shown there

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 63 UPCA; CoA Dyson/Dreame, Sumi/Syngenta, Boehringer/Zentiva

  • First-instance cost ratio 60:40 correctly reflects success and failure

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 69(1) UPCA
Rejected arguments
What the court did not agree with — and why.

  • The first-instance dismissal of the infringement action should be set aside and infringement found

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 25, 26 UPCA

  • EP 3 215 288 should be revoked in full for DE, FR, IT and RO

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 65 UPCA; Art. 138 EPC; R. 362 RoP

  • New facts on the June 2026 PCIM trade fair should be admitted under R. 36 RoP

    ClaimantLegal basis: R. 36 RoP