UPC Local Division: Assignment of Technically Qualified Judge

The defendants request a review of the allocation of the technically qualified judge and the appointment of a new technically qualified judge with expertise in mechanical engineering. This request is rejected. There is no basis in the UPCA for the parties to propose the assignment of a judge with a particular technical background. The only reason a party can challenge a judge’s participation in the proceedings is a conflict-of-interest objection under Article 7(4) of the UPCA (Presiding Judge, Court of First Instance, Unified Patent Court, 2 September 2024, Court of First Instance 368/2024).