UPC Adds 3rd Panel for Appeals

July 14 2025 — The Unified Patent Court (UPC) is expanding its capacity at the appellate level. At its recent meeting, the UPC's Administrative Committee approved the creation of a third panel for the Court of Appeal, which currently operates with two panels under the leadership of Presiding Judges Klaus Grabinski and Rian Kalden.

Although at the launch of the UPC there were questions about how busy the court would be, it is clear now that the UPC has been a successful undertaking for the European judicial system. In fact, the expansion responds to a rising workload at the appellate level, including an increasing number of main action appeals and complex legal questions regarding the interpretation of the UPC’s Rules of Procedure, such as those related to jurisdiction.

According to Johannes Karcher, Chair of the Administrative Committee, the court will add three new judges to the Court of Appeal to form the third panel. While the Committee handles judicial appointments, Karcher emphasized that panel formation and the selection of presiding judges fall within the internal self-administration of the court.

Local Divisions Face Similar Pressure, but Expansion Deferred

Though additional panels were discussed for the UPC’s most active local divisions, Munich and Düsseldorf, such expansion has been postponed.

The addition of an Irish Court remains uncertain and, in any case, seems unlikely prior to late 2026, so it may be that the expansion of the Munich and Düsseldorf local divisions may be the most effective next step and may happen sometime in late 2026.