The Patent Litigation Europe Summit

The Patent Litigation Europe Summit 2026 will take place from 19–21 January 2026 at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, Netherlands, bringing together Europe's most influential patent litigators, in-house counsel, judges, policymakers, and industry innovators. Formerly known as the Pharma and Biotech Patent Litigation Summit, the event has evolved into the Patent Litigation Europe Summit, now encompassing both the established Pharma and Biotech Patent Litigation Europe stream and the brand-new Tech and Innovation Patent Litigation Europe stream. This rebrand reflects the growing convergence between life sciences and technology sectors and their shared challenges within the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and wider global enforcement landscape.
 
The event opens on Monday 19 January with the UPC Litigation Forum, a full-day cross-sector pre-conference dedicated to deep analysis of early UPC rulings, procedural developments, and judicial insights. Sessions will explore the doctrine of equivalents, claim construction, injunction strategies, and the evolving reach of the UPC's jurisdiction. Featuring UPC judges and leading counsel, this pre-day forum provides an exclusive opportunity for attendees to understand the decision-making processes shaping Europe's newest patent court and to benchmark their litigation strategy against peers across industries.
 
From Tuesday 20 to Wednesday 21 January, the summit divides into two concurrent tracks, allowing attendees to tailor their experience according to their sector focus.
 
The Pharma and Biotech Patent Litigation Europe stream returns for its fifth year as the region's premier meeting for innovators, biosimilar manufacturers, and generic companies. Topics include cross-border litigation strategy, second medical use case law, plausibility following G2/21, SPC and PTE litigation, Bolar exemptions, and the evolving impact of the proposed EU pharmaceutical package. Sessions led by senior in-house counsel and judges will address pressing challenges such as preliminary injunctions in fast-moving markets, regulatory exclusivity, illicit compounding, and settlement strategy in a post-UPC world. This track attracts IP leaders from companies such as Sandoz, Fresenius Kabi, MSD, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Regeneron, and Bayer, offering a uniquely balanced discussion across the innovator and generic sides of the market.
 
Running in parallel, the Tech and Innovation Patent Litigation Europe stream debuts in 2026, reflecting Europe's rapidly expanding litigation landscape in technology, telecommunications, automotive, and consumer electronics. The agenda explores SEP and FRAND enforcement, AI-related IP disputes, trade secrets, injunction power in key jurisdictions, and cross-border forum selection under the UPC and national courts. With participation from leading global IP figures including Nokia, Ericsson, Qualcomm, Xiaomi, Huawei, Cisco, TomTom, and ASML, this stream provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand the dynamics of patent monetisation, global FRAND rate setting, and regulatory developments shaping licensing and enforcement.
 
Across both tracks, the event maintains a 45% in-house counsel ratio, ensuring attendees benefit from commercially valuable networking and insight exchange with decision-makers who drive litigation and instruct external counsel. The summit attracts over 800 professionals, including corporate IP leaders, patent litigation partners from top European and international firms, litigation funders, and regulatory specialists. Delegates have access to shared networking spaces, curated roundtable discussions, and pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings, fostering meaningful new business connections and collaboration opportunities.
 
Key confirmed speakers and panellists include Julia Pike (Sandoz), Corinna Sundermann (Fresenius Kabi), James Horgan (MSD), Ronny Thomas (UPC Local Division Judge), Clemens Heusch (Nokia), Gabriele Mohsler (Ericsson), Le Chen (Xiaomi), Georg Müller (TomTom), Ief Daems (Cisco), and Wolfram Thomas (Qualcomm), alongside UPC judges from the Courts of Appeal and First Instance. Their participation underscores the summit's reputation as the foremost forum for discussion and practical guidance on European patent litigation.
 
The Patent Litigation Europe Summit is more than a conference—it is a strategic meeting point for the entire European IP litigation ecosystem. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how landmark UPC decisions are shaping future enforcement strategies, how national courts are adapting to coexist with the UPC, and how regulatory and technological change will influence global IP policy. Whether your focus is biosimilars or connected devices, supplementary protection or standard-essential patents, this event delivers the insights needed to stay competitive and compliant in an evolving legal landscape.