HAMBURG LOCAL DIVISION Law and Practice Contributed by: Lukas Wosnitza, Michael Schneider, Sönke Scheltz and Désirée Heintz, Eisenführ Speiser
1. General Information 1.1 Basic Information
Judge Klepsch previously served as a part-time judge at the UPC while continuing her work as a presiding judge at the DRC. Klepsch stepped down from her position at the DRC to take on a full-time role at the UPC on 1 May 2025. Judge Stefan Schilling Stefan Schilling studied law at the universities of Göttingen, Aarhus (Denmark) and Hamburg. In 2002, he was awarded a short-term doctoral scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service ( Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdi- enst DAAD) and spent time at the University of California, Berkeley. He earned his Doctor of Laws (Dr iur) in 2003 from the University of Ham - burg, with a dissertation on third-party liability in trade mark infringement cases. During his legal traineeship ( Referendariat ) in 2003–04, he worked at the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in San Francisco. In September 2007, after two years of practic - ing as an attorney, Schilling joined the higher judicial service of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. From 2010 onward, he served for several years on the Civil Division of the Ham - burg Regional Court (HRC), being responsible for intellectual property matters. Between 2016 and 2019, he was seconded as a research asso - ciate to the German Federal Court of Justice ( Bundesgerichtshof BGH), where he worked with the First Civil Senate. In February 2021, he was appointed as a judge at the Higher Region - al Court Hamburg (HHRC). He currently serves on the Civil Senate, specialising in trade mark, unfair competition, design and copyright law. Schilling’s selection as a judge at the UPC and assignment to the LD HH were announced on 19 October 2022. Since 1 May 2025, Schilling has also been serving as a full-time judge at the UPC.
The Local Division Hamburg (LD HH) of the Uni - fied Patent Court (UPC) is located at Sieveking - platz 1, 20355 Hamburg, Germany. The adminis - trative office can be contacted by phone at +49 40 42843 4337/4338, and by e-mail at contact_ hamburg.loc@unifiedpatentcourt.org. The office is available for telephone inquiries, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 4pm. The public service office of the LD HH is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thurs - days from 9am to 12pm. Appointments outside of these hours are possible upon prior arrange - ment. The Division observes German public holidays and remains closed on those days. Additionally, the City State of Hamburg observes Reformation Day (October 31st), a holiday that is not observed in all German states. 1.2 UPC Judges Two judges have been specifically assigned to the LD HH since the UPC’s launch: Presiding Judge Sabine Klepsch and Judge Stefan Schil - ling. Both are legally qualified judges. Judge Sabine Klepsch After completing her studies in chemistry in Ulm and Freiburg and subsequently earning her law degree in Bonn, Sabine Klepsch began her judicial career at the Düsseldorf Regional Court (DRC) in 2001. She has specialised in patent law since 2002 and was appointed presiding judge of the 4c Civil Chamber in 2013, which is one of the patent chambers at the DRC. These patent chambers are exclusively responsible for litiga - tion concerning the infringement of patents and utility models, as well as disputes relating to plant variety rights and employee inventions.
33
CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook