Cross-post: The UPC's Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) to commence operation on 2 June 2026: A turning point for patent dispute resolution?

The Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) is set to commence operations on 2 June 2026 in Ljubljana. Established under Article 35 of the Unified Patent Court Agreement (UPCA), PMAC is an independent, specialised alternative dispute resolution institution which will offer mediation, arbitration and expert determination services for resolving patent disputes. Following a lengthy public consultation process, the PMAC's Arbitration, Mediation and Expert Determination Rules have been formally adopted by the UPC Administrative Committee and are now available on the UPC and PMAC websites.

The formal adoption of the PMAC Rules and the imminent inauguration of PMAC mark a significant turning point for patent dispute resolution in Europe and beyond. For the first time, parties to patent disputes arising from European patents, unitary patents or related rights will have access to a dedicated, specialised ADR institution purpose-built for the patent ecosystem, available both independently of and in parallel with UPC litigation.

The Arbitration Rules are modern and comprehensive, containing all the provisions one would expect from a global arbitration institution, while being tailored to the UPC framework. In addition to the express confidentiality provision, the Arbitration Rules offer emergency arbitration, an expedited procedure, detailed provisions on interim relief (including the possibility of obtaining ex-parte relief) and a detailed document production process. We analyse the Arbitration Rules in greater detail in a separate blog post here.

For more information, see the full post on our Intellectual Property blog here.