Dr. Ingve Björn Stjerna, LL.M.

EU Patent Reform: The Parliamentary UPCA ratification proceedings in Germany,

Article on the course of the legislative proceedings on the ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court in Germany until the intervention by the German Constitutional Court (Published on 17/07/2017)


Contents:

The Parliamentary proceedings on the ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (“UPCA”) in Germany have revealed a state of political affairs which should cause concern to each citizen. It shows the extensively used practice of so-called “second class adoptions” in which legislative decisions are made by a materially inquorate Parliament, because nobody raises the objection necessary for the annulment of the session. It was in this manner that the legislative acts on the UPCA were unanimously adopted by 35 cheerful Members of Parliament (“MPs”) in the second and third reading in the early morning hours on 10/03/2017. Five further unanimous decisions add to this picture. After the vote, all groups represented in the German Parliament denied providing the names of the participating MPs, three of four contacted MPs also rejected talking about the matter. A report on German law-making in the year 2017, in which the institutions involved could not care less about the German Constitution.

  • Download English version (Article of 17/07/2017, PDF)
  • Download German version (Article of 17/07/2017, PDF)


Sources used:

  • Link to the press statement „Bundesregierung beschließt Umsetzung der Reform des europäischen Patentsystems“ (“German Federal Government adopts the implementation of the European patent system”) of 25/05/2016 (German).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter („BR-Drucksache“) 280/16 of 27/05/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 282/16 of 27/05/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament printed matter („BT-Drucksache“) 18/8826 of 20/06/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 18/8827 of 20/06/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament plenary protocol 18/179 of 23/06/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament plenary protocol 18/190 of 22/09/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to the MP profile of Christian Flisek at bundestag.de (German).
  • Link to the article Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – A poisoned gift for SMEs” (PDF).
  • Link to the agenda of Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection of 30/06/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 280/16 (decision) of 08/07/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 282/16 (decision) of 08/07/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council plenary protocol 947 of 08/07/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to the press statement „Ankündigung Großbritanniens gibt dem Europäischen Patentgericht neuen Schub“ (“Great Britain‘s announcement gives a fresh impetus to the UPC”) by the CDU/CSU Parliamentary group of 30/11/2016 (German).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 751/16 of 09/12/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Letter from the Federal Council’s Legal Affairs Committee of 22/12/2016 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 751/16 (decision) of 10/02/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council plenary protocol 953 of 10/02/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link Parliament printed matter 18/11137 of 13/02/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link Parliament plenary protocol 18/218 of 16/02/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to the agenda of Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection of 03/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link Parliament printed matter 18/11451 of 08/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament draft time schedule of 17/02/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament draft time schedule of 03/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament draft time schedule of 07/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Parliament draft time schedule of 09/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to the TV recording of Parliament’s session on the European patent reform on 10/03/2017 (German).
  • Link Parliament plenary protocol 18/221 of 09/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to the „Datenhandbuch des Deutschen Bundestages“ (“Data handbook of the German Bundestag”) (version of 05/03/2018), Chapter 10.1 – Statistics on law-making (German, PDF).
  • Letter to all Parliamentary groups of 25/04/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Letter from the CDU/CSU Parliamentary group of 27/04/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Letter to the CDU/CSU Parliamentary group of 04/05/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Letter from the CDU/CSU Parliamentary group of 15/05/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Letter from Parliamentary group Die Linke of 28/04/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Letter to Parliamentary group Die Linke of 02/05/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to “Draft Decision of the Administrative Committee of the Unified Patent Court on the scale of recoverable cost ceilings” of 16/06/2016 (PDF).
  • Link to Stjerna, The Parliamentary History of the European “Unitary Patent” (Tredition 2016).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 202/17 (decision) of 31/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link to Federal Council printed matter 203/17 (decision) of 31/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Link Federal Council plenary protocol 956 of 31/03/2017 (German, PDF).
  • Letter from the Federal Council’s Legal Affairs Committee of 21/04/2017 (German, PDF).


Further material:

  • Link to Stjerna, Official information obtained under the German Federal Freedom of Information Act.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – First constitutional complaint against UPCA ratification in Germany”.
  • Link to the article Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – Questions and answers on the German Constitutional Complaint proceedings” (PDF).
  • Link to Stjerna, “Die Verfassungsbeschwerde vom 31.03.2017 gegen die Ratifikation des Übereinkommens über ein Einheitliches Patentgericht – Verfahren 2 BvR 739/17 vor dem Bundesverfassungsgericht” (“The constitutional complaint of 31/03/2017 against the ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court – Proceedings 2 BvR 739/17 before the Federal Constitutional Court”), the foreword can be viewed here.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “Patent Law: German Constitutional Court judge Prof. Huber on the situation at the European Patent Office”.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “Patent Law: Constitutional complaints relating to the European Patent Office, access to complaint briefs for the public”.
  • Link to the article Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – The German state powers in constitutional complaint proceedings 2 BvR 739/17 (Part 1 of 2)” (PDF).
  • Link to the article Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – The German state powers in constitutional complaint proceedings 2 BvR 739/17 (Part 2 of 2)” (PDF).
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – The reimbursement of costs in constitutional complaint proceedings 2 BvR 739/17 (UPCA I) – an almost never-ending story”.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – Second constitutional complaint against UPCA ratification in Germany”.
  • Link to Stjerna, “Die Verfassungsbeschwerde vom 18.12.2020 gegen die Ratifikation des Übereinkommens über ein Einheitliches Patentgericht – Verfahren 2 BvR 2217/20 vor dem Bundesverfassungsgericht” (“The constitutional complaint of 18/12/2020 against the ratification of the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court – Proceedings 2 BvR 2217/20 before the Federal Constitutional Court”), the foreword can be viewed here.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – A comment on the BVerfG’s decision of 23/06/2021 in matter 2 BvR 2217/20”.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “Patent Law: End of the term of office of Constitutional Court judge Prof. Huber – When a constitutional complaint outlasts the twelve-year term of office of the judge responsible for it”.
  • Link to the post Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – Federal Republic of Germany deposits the instrument of ratification for the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court”.
  • Link to the article Stjerna, “The European Patent Reform – The structural lack of judicial independence and impartiality at the Unified Patent Court” (PDF).


If you wish to support my work, you can do so here. Many thanks!

Archive