Francine Le Péchon-Joubert and Esperanza Barrón Baratech appointed among the first arbitrators of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court

We are proud to announce the appointment of our partners, Francine Le Péchon-Joubert and Esperanza Barrón Baratech, to the first list of arbitrators of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

A new milestone in patent dispute resolution in Europe

The entry into force of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has profoundly transformed the European patent litigation landscape. Designed to provide a harmonised framework for the resolution of disputes relating to European patents and unitary patents, the UPC represents a major step forward for innovation stakeholders at the European level.

Against this backdrop, the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) was established to offer alternative dispute resolution mechanisms tailored to the specific challenges of industrial property. The Centre has jurisdiction to handle, in particular, disputes relating to patents and unitary patents, as well as disputes concerning the terms on which FRAND (Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory) licences are granted.

The PMAC operates from two sites, in Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Lisbon (Portugal), and is intended to become a key player in the out-of-court resolution of intellectual property disputes in Europe.

Recognition of their established expertise

The appointment of Francine Le Péchon-Joubert and Esperanza Barrón Baratech among the first PMAC arbitrators reflects recognition of their respective expertise in particularly strategic fields:

• Francine Le Péchon-Joubert, partner specialising in intellectual property law;
• Esperanza Barrón Baratech, partner specialising in international arbitration.

This appointment also follows on from their contribution to the preparatory work that led to the drafting of the PMAC’s arbitration rules.

A contribution to building the new European framework

We thank the Licensing Executives Society (LES France) for having called on our partners as part of this foundational work.

Their selection to this first list of arbitrators represents significant recognition of their commitment to the development of innovative and effective dispute resolution mechanisms, as well as of their contribution to shaping the new European framework for resolving patent disputes.