Qualifications for patent attorneys to represent before the UPC have been approved: many to qualify

Thanks to a very timely email from CIPA (the UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys) the IPKat has been alerted to the fact that a further draft of  the Rules relating to the European Patent Litigation Certificate has been published on the website of the Preparatory Committee, together with the news that this draft was agreed by the Preparatory Committee at its meeting on 3 September 2015.  There is also an Explanatory Memorandum.The European Patent Litigation Certificate is the qualification that a European Patent Attorney will be able to obtain in order to have the same rights to conduct litigation at the Unified Patent Court (UPC) as a legal practitioner in a member state which is a party to the Unified Patent Court Agreement (according to Article 48 of that Agreement).  This qualification does not yet exist - institutions will be able to apply to the Administrative Committee of the UPC for accreditation of appropriate courses.  Most of the Rules…