UPC further expands judiciary with new judge at Paris central division

In its recently published budget for 2025, the UPC set out its plan to hire more judges this year. In its latest move, the court has announced the appointment of a new judge at the central division Paris.

Marjolein Visser ©UPC

A Dutch native, Marjolein Visser’s position as legally qualified judge at the UPC becomes effective at the court of first instance on 1 March 2025. This is following a decision by the Administrative Committee from 19 November 2024. Visser will take her oath on 4 March.

Having studied law at the universities of Groningen in the Netherlands and Kingston in Canada, Visser worked as a lawyer in private practice between 2001 and 2004.

In 2004, Visser joined the Dutch judiciary, working as a judge in the civil and criminal law sections of the District Courts of Rotterdam and The Hague. In 2018, she joined the IP section of the District Court The Hague. According to Dutch sources, Visser has already played a role in important judgments.

Apixaban case

Last year Visser was part of the panel ruling on Bristol Myers Squibb’s apixaban claims against various generics. The case concerning the blood-clot drug is currently one of the biggest and most important in the Netherlands. Visser was on the bench alongside presiding judge Margot Kokke, a fellow UPC judge.

Visser is now the first Dutch judge at the Paris central division. She will serve alongside the French president of the court of first instance Florence Butin, primarily deciding on central revocation actions. The panel also includes Italian judge Paolo Catallozzi, German judge Maximilian Haedicke, French judge François Thomas and Bulgarian judge Tatyana Zhilova.

Following Visser’s appointment, the number of legally qualified judges from the Netherlands at the UPC has increased to seven. Marije Knijff and András Kupecz are also active in the central division. The latter in Munich, while the former was promoted to the Milan division last year. Like Germany, the Netherlands now has a judge at each of the three central divisions.

UPC to fund more judges

According to the UPC’s budget, officials will make funds available to increase the full-time equivalents at the court of first instance to 47.3 FTEs.

At the end of January, the court appointed a third judge at the Düsseldorf local division. Jule Schumacher, currently a judge at Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court, will serve on the panel alongside Ronny Thomas and Bérénice Thom.

Furthermore, Dirk Böttcher has now moved full time to the UPC and relinquished his role as presiding judge of the 14th Patent Chamber at Mannheim Regional Court. Meanwhile, judge Tobias Pichlmaier has been working 100% at the UPC since February. (Co-author: Mathieu Klos)