Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar and Melanie Müller as co-authors in Les Nouvelles, December 2025, on the potential of the PMAC

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Launching in 2026, the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the UPC offers confidential, efficient solutions for patent and SEP disputes – a flexible alternative to traditional litigation.

In the article “Potential of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC)” in this year’s December issue of the “Journal of the Licensing Executives Society International,” the authors Rebekka Porath (Intellectual Property Fellow Innovation Network Germany), Dr. Peter Camesasca (partner at Camesasca BVBA, Brussels, Belgium), and BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT attorneys Prof. Dr. Heinz Goddar (patent attorney) and Melanie Müller (attorney at law) shed a light on the institutional framework, competence, and procedural potential of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC).

This was established as an institutional component with the introduction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and is intended to serve as a specialized ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) body for patent disputes from 2026 onwards. The PMAC offers mediation and arbitration for European and unitary patents as well as SPCs (Supplementary Protection Certificates). Its aim is to provide efficient, flexible, and confidential proceedings, complementing UPC litigation.

In their article, the authors see particular potential for the PMAC in SEP/FRAND disputes (Standard Essential Patents) following the EU’s withdrawal of the proposed SEP Regulation. The PMAC could fill a gap here by offering a neutral forum for licensing negotiations. However, it lacks mandatory procedures and transparency mechanism envisioned by the SEP regulation. The authors suggest introducing incentives for cooperation and partial disclosure of anonymized outcomes.

Furthermore, the recent decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in BSH vs. Electrolux and the associated expansion of the jurisdiction of European courts for cross-border patent disputes could increase the attractiveness of the PMAC for global dispute resolution.

Overall, the authors see the PMAC as a new kid on the European patent dispute block – one well worth getting to know, to engage with, and, perhaps in time, to introduce into the family of established international ADR institutions.

Members of the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) can download the full article here.

Update January 2026: The above-mentioned article entitled „Potential of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC)“ was selected by the board of the Licensing Executive Society International as the publication of the month in Les Nouvelles 1/2026.