Public Access to UPC Register Documents Decision
The Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court issued a decision on public access to the register under Rule 262.1(b) of the Rules of Procedure. Requests for document access must be made to the appropriate division, i.e., the Court of First Instance or the Court of Appeal. The decision-making process involves the judge-rapporteur consulting the parties, ensuring familiarity with the case file. Access requests should specify the documents needed and justify their relevance, avoiding broad criteria that require the court to search based on the requester’s criteria. The case involved Gowling WLG seeking access to documents for professional reasons, even though the proceedings (UPC_CoA_523/2024) had ended. Sumi Agro opposed access to documents containing confidential information. Syngenta requested personal data redaction. The decision emphasized balancing public access against confidentiality and the need for reasoned requests.