On 15 May, the 2025 edition of the POLIMI European Patent Litigation Certificate course, organised by the Department of Energy under the direction of Prof. Antonio Salerno (Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano & UPC representative) and Avv. Giovanni Casucci (EY Partner – IP Department), came to a successful conclusion.

The training course was designed with the aim of preparing future European Patent Litigators, professionals with degrees in technical and scientific subjects, qualified to represent their clients before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

The Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court allow 18 European countries to be covered by a single patent title, and the role of European Patent Litigator requires both technical and legal expertise.

The six-month programme was attended by 46 professionals from all over Europe and concluded with three days of practical exercises at the Department of Energy, followed by a final exam to obtain the qualification.

At the end of the course, a workshop entitled “UPC hot topics: A guided discussion on the UPC case law” was held at the Regina Palace Hotel in Stresa, on Lake Maggiore.

During the event, the speakers, Mattias Zigann and Dirk Böttcher, both judges at the Unified Patent Court in Munich and Mannheim respectively, together with Elisabetta Papa and Alessandro Sanchini, both engineers and patent consultants qualified as technical judges at the Unified Patent Court, led a multi-voiced debate on the most relevant issues that have emerged from recent UPC rulings. Antonio Salerno and Giovanni Casucci moderated the discussion. After the workshop, a guided tour of Palazzo Borromeo on Isola Bella was organised, providing an opportunity for networking between participants, speakers and lecturers.

Many participants shared their appreciation for the course they had just completed, describing it as a comprehensive programme and a stimulating and meaningful experience that will have a lasting impact on their professional careers.