Worldwide: Arbitration & Dispute Resolution

The Unified Patent Court's interim remedies are transforming patent enforcement across Europe, enabling patent holders to obtain injunctions and evidence preservation orders with unprecedented speed—sometimes within hours. How can businesses operating in European markets protect themselves from sudden commercial disruption while leveraging these powerful procedural tools to enforce their own patent rights?

Recent developments in Irish mediation law have brought significant changes through a new High Court Practice Direction and a landmark judgment on court-ordered mediation. These developments clarify compliance requirements under the Mediation Act 2017 and establish the courts' power to direct parties into mediation, even against their will in appropriate circumstances.

The Dutch Supreme Court has issued a decisive ruling on the contentious Box 3 tax assessments, determining the fate of taxpayers who failed to timely object to their assessments between 2017 and 2020. This judgment resolves a critical question left open by the landmark Christmas judgment of 2021, establishing whether non-objecting taxpayers can still claim relief. The decision carries significant implications for thousands of Dutch taxpayers who may have missed objection deadlines during this period.