Patent case: Judgment No. 252/2024 of Valencia Court of Appeal, dated 12 November 2024, Spain

Decisions in patent ownership disputes are rare in Spain. The last significant one was the 2022 judgment from the Spanish Supreme Court in the "Ecoforest" case. Now, the Valencia Court of Appeal – a growing forum for patent disputes – rules that the two-year statute of limitations for filing patent ownership claims cannot be interrupted. In addition, it provides some guidance on the notion of bad faith in entitlement disputes. Once again, this decision highlights the need for solid contractual provisions on foreground IP, especially if outsourcing research to universities and other public bodies.

Case number: 11/12/2024

Case date: 12 November 2024

Court: Provincial Court of Valencia

A full summary of this case has been published on Kluwer IP Law