Rule 29 – Lodging of Defence to the Counterclaim for revocation, Reply to the Statement of defence and Rejoinder to the Reply

(a) Within two months of service of a Statement of defence which includes a Counterclaim for revocation, the claimant shall lodge a Defence to the Counterclaim for revocation together with any Reply to the Statement of defence and any Application to amend the patent pursuant to Rule 30, if applicable.

(b) Within two months of service of a Statement of defence which does not include a Counterclaim for revocation, the claimant may lodge a Reply to the Statement of defence.

(c) Within one month of service of a Reply to the Statement of defence which does not include a Counterclaim for revocation the defendant may lodge a Rejoinder to the Reply to the Statement of defence. The Rejoinder to the Reply to the Statement of defence shall be limited to a response to the matters raised in the Reply to the Statement of defence.

(d) Within two months of service of the Defence to Counterclaim the defendant may lodge a Reply to the Defence to the Counterclaim together with any Rejoinder to the Reply to the Statement of defence and any Defence to an Application to amend the patent pursuant to Rule 32, if applicable.

(e) Within one month of the service of the Reply to the Defence to the Counterclaim, the claimant may lodge a Rejoinder to the Reply together with any Reply to the Defence to an Application to amend the patent pursuant to Rule 32, if applicable. The Rejoinder to the Reply to the Statement of defence shall be limited to a response to the matters raised in the Reply to the Statement of defence.

(f) Where the claimant is not the proprietor of the patent, all references to the claimant in this Rule 29 regarding an Application to amend the patent shall be read as including the proprietor.

Case Law:

IPPT20240117, UPC CFI, LD The Hague, Plant-e v Arkyne
Ex officio order judge-rapporteur to extend deadline to file Defence in the Counterclaim for revocation and to reunite the claim and counterclaim workflows (Rule 9(3 RoP, Rule 311(1) RoP, Rule 334(a) RoP). Defence to the counterclaim for revocation not filed together with Reply to defence in the claim as required by Rule 29(a) RoP. The apparent misunderstanding of the relevant deadline [for Statement of defence to counterclaim for revocation] by Plant-e Knowledge will in this situation not be held against her; the consequences would be disproportionate.

IPPT20231214, UPC CFI, LD Düsseldorf, Nutricia v Nestlé

The provisions of the Brussels 1-bis Regulation do not apply to a counterclaim for revocation, which is to be included in the Statement of defence (Rule 25(1) RoP, Rule 270 RoP). At the request of the claimant, the Court clarifies that the time limit for filing the Defence to the Counterclaim for revocation and any Application for the amendment of the patent is 20 December 2023 (Rule 29 RoP, Rule 30 RoP, Rule 32 RoP).

IPPT20231128, UPC CFI, LD Hamburg, Avago v Tesla

The start of time limit of two months for responding to the Statement of Defence which includes a Counterclaim for revocation (Rule 29a RoP) is to be set on the date of the conclusion of the R. 262A proceedings, i.e. 8 November 2023. Opposing party to be heard on synchronizing time limit for replying to the nullity counterclaim with the time limit for replying to the Statement of Defence (Rule 264 RoP).