PMAC Arbitration Day | Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court (PMAC)

Location:

Lisbon

Details:

The Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court (PMAC), in cooperation with the European Patent Office, the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property and the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office, is pleased to invite you to PMAC Arbitration Day.

Date: 25 November 2026
Venue: Polícia Judiciária Headquarters, Rua Gomes Freire, Lisbon
Format: Hybrid — in Lisbon and online

PMAC Arbitration Day will bring together judges, policymakers, representatives of intellectual property institutions, academics, arbitrators, lawyers and other practitioners from Europe and beyond to discuss current developments and future trends in international intellectual property and technology arbitration.

A particular focus will be placed on SEP/FRAND disputes, including judicial perspectives on global licensing disputes and the ongoing work of the PMAC FRAND Guidelines Working Group. A dedicated session will examine the Working Group’s discussion paper as part of the wider consultation process for the future PMAC FRAND Guidelines.

The programme will also explore broader issues in intellectual property dispute resolution, including European alternative dispute resolution policy, the arbitrability of disputes concerning intellectual property validity and ownership, and arbitration in patent licensing, technology transfer and the life sciences.

Designed as an interactive, discussion-driven event, the panels will encourage exchanges among speakers and participants. Those attending in Lisbon and online will be able to raise questions and contribute to discussions on matters of international and cross-border relevance.

Registration

Places for in-person attendance in Lisbon are limited. Completing the registration form does not automatically confirm an on-site place. Applicants requesting in-person attendance will receive confirmation within approximately two weeks of submitting the form. Participants who are unable to attend in person are welcome to join the event online.

If you receive confirmation of an in-person place but are subsequently unable to attend, we kindly ask you to inform us as soon as possible by emailing contact-pmac@unifiedpatentcourt.org. As places are limited, this will allow us to offer your place to another participant.

Agenda

09:00–09:30 | Welcome and Opening Remarks

Welcome Address

Aleš Zalar
Director, Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court

Opening Addresses

Rita Alarcão Júdice (TBC)
Minister of Justice of the Portuguese Republic

Klaus Grabinski
President, Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court

António Campinos
President, European Patent Office

João Negrão
Executive Director, European Union Intellectual Property Office

09:30–10:30 | European IP Dispute Resolution Policy Challenges

This panel will explore the evolving role of alternative dispute resolution within the European intellectual property landscape and discuss current institutional perspectives and future policy developments.

Moderator

Aleš Zalar
Director, Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court

Speakers

Sven Stürmann
President of the Boards of Appeal, European Union Intellectual Property Office; Internationally accredited Mediator

Ana Margarida Bandeira
President of the Directive Council of INPI, Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property

Karin Žvokelj
Director, Slovenian Intellectual Property Office; Chair, Management Board, European Union Intellectual Property Office

Nazareth Romero
Professor; FCIArb. Chair Ciarb Iberian Chapter EU Branch; Partner Ovoli Frugoni Romero Arbitration Litigation; PMAC Neutral

Yvonne Podbielski
Legally Qualified Member of the Boards of Appeal, European Patent Office

10:30–11:00 | Coffee Break

11:00–12:30 | Judges' Panel – Territorial Rights, Global Standards: Judicial Perspectives on SEP/FRAND Disputes

This judicial panel will examine contemporary developments in SEP/FRAND disputes, exploring the relationship between litigation and ADR, recent judicial developments and the role arbitration and mediation may play in resolving global licensing disputes.

Moderator

Sir Robin Jacob
Sir Hugh Laddie Professor of Intellectual Property Law, University College London; Former Lord Justice of Appeal; PMAC Neutral

Speakers

The Rt Hon. Lord Justice Richard Arnold
Court of Appeal of England and Wales

Lars Meinhardt
Presiding Judge, Higher Regional Court of Munich

Emmanuel Gougé
Judge, Court of Appeal, Unified Patent Court

Judge, Unified Patent Court (TBC)

12:30–13:30 | Lunch

13:30–14:30 | PMAC FRAND Guidelines

This session will present the PMAC FRAND Guidelines Working Group’s discussion paper and address key topics under consideration for future PMAC FRAND Guidelines.

Moderator

Simon Dack
PMAC Expert Committee Member; PMAC Neutral

Speakers

Matthias Zigann
Presiding Judge, Local Division Munich, Unified Patent Court

Aleksandra Kuźnicka-Cholewa
Counsel at CMS Poland; Assistant Professor Institute of Law Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences; PMAC Neutral

Richard Buttrick
Independent IP Consultant and expert witness on SEP/FRAND matters; PMAC Neutral

Tom Oliver
Partner, Powell Gilbert

Thierry Calame
Managing Partner, Lenz & Staehelin; PMAC Neutral

14:30–15:30 | Arbitrability of Disputes Concerning the Validity and Ownership of Intellectual Property Rights

This panel will examine the arbitrability of disputes concerning the validity and ownership of intellectual property rights from comparative and practical perspectives, considering recent developments in international arbitration and national legal systems.

Moderator

Vítor Palmela Fidalgo
Partner at Inventa; Lecturer at the University of Lisbon School of Law; PMAC Expert Committee Member and PMAC Neutral

Dário Moura Vicente
Full Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Lisbon; Attorney-at-Law and Arbitrator; PMAC Neutral

Antje Baumann
International Arbitrator; Founding Partner, BAUMANN Resolving Disputes

Yanfang Wang
Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, East China University of Political Science and Law (ECUPL); PMAC Neutral

Jacques Raynard
Professor Agrégé of the Faculties of Law; Professor of Private Law, University of Montpellier; Professor, Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI), University of Strasbourg; PMAC Neutral

15:30–16:00 | Coffee Break

16:00–17:00 | Arbitration of Patent Licensing, Technology Transfer and Life Sciences Disputes

This panel will explore the role of arbitration in patent licensing, technology transfer and life sciences disputes. Bringing together leading practitioners from different jurisdictions, it will offer practical perspectives on current developments, emerging challenges and best practices in resolving complex commercial and intellectual property disputes.

Moderator

Cândida Ribeiro Caffé
Partner, Dannemann Siemsen, Past President of LES Brasil, Professor of Intellectual Property at PUC-Rio

Speakers

Penny Gilbert
Founding Partner, Powell Gilbert LLP; PMAC Neutral

Joana Piriquito Santos
Founding Partner and Managing Partner at NLP Law firm; PMAC Neutral

Steven Baldwin
Partner, Intellectual Property Litigation, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Shaohui Yuan (participating online)
Vice President, CCPIT Patent & Trademark Law Office; President, Licensing Executives Society China; Vice President, China Trademark Association; Expert, National Intellectual Property Experts Pool; Arbitrator, CIETAC; Mediator, CCPIT Mediation Center; PMAC Neutral

17:00–17:10 | Closing Remarks

Aleš Zalar
Director, Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre of the Unified Patent Court