Significant decision
Life Sciences

Syngenta v Sumi Agro & Anor (UPC_CFI_566/2024 & UPC_CFI_39/2025)

Decision date:

14 April 2025

Court
Munich LD
Patent
EP 2 152 073

Full decision available here:

Osborne Clarke summary

  • Syngenta requested leave to amend its claim to include the territories of Poland, the Czech Republic, and the UK under Rule 263 RoP.
  • Syngenta argued that the amendment was only possible following the CJEU decision in BSH v Electrolux as it clarified various jurisdiction issues.
  • Sumi Agro contended Syngenta could have made the amendment earlier with reasonable diligence.
  • The court allowed Syngenta's application, finding that it could not have been expected to include the non-UPC territories in its original statement of claim in the main proceedings according to the established case law prior to BSH v Electrolux.
  • Syngenta was not obliged to include the territories in question already in its original statement of claim on the basis of the Advocate General's Opinion in BSH v Electrolux as it was not binding and therefore did not create legal certainty on the issue.
  • See our Insight for more detail on this decision.

Issue

Jurisdiction

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