Germany: Trials & Appeals & Compensation

The CoA partially overturned a broad evidence production order of the LD Copenhagen and clarified the limits on the scope. The Court of First Instance had ordered Appellant to produce, subject to a penalty payment of up to EUR 1,000 per day of delay, complete construction drawings, manuals and “other materials” provided to customers. Appellant appealed, raising five grounds: disproportionality, lack of evidentiary necessity for process features, fishing expedition / pre-emptive remedies, self-incrimination, and insufficient confidentiality measures.

Two brothers in Germany have pleaded guilty mid-trial to breaching EU sanctions against Russia by shipping engineering and industrial equipment valued at €830,000 between 2023 and 2024. As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, both defendants have accepted four-year custodial sentences, with the court's verdict still pending while their father faces separate prosecution for related offenses.

The Unified Patent Court has now processed hundreds of cases since opening in 2023, revealing emerging patterns in litigation success rates, procedural timelines, and forum preferences.