How much does it cost?
- If you want to sue someone, you need to pay an application fee to the Patent and Market Court of SEK 2,800.
- If you lose the case or withdraw your action, you may have to pay the defendant's legal costs. The same applies if you choose to sue someone unnecessarily, for example if your counterparty has already agreed to your claim.
- If you win the case, the defendant may be forced to pay your legal costs, including the application fee and the costs of representation and the like.
Different types of targets
Infringement
The holder of a patent can bring an action against a person who infringes the patent and request an end to the infringement. The Patent Act contains rules on liability and liability in the event of infringement.
Action for annulion
Anyone who considers that a patent should be invalid can bring an action before the Court of Justice. This can only be done after the opposition period with PRV, the Swedish Patent and Registration Office, has expired.
A patent may be declared invalid if, for example, it does not comply with the requirements of the Patent Act or it relates to an invention which is not so clearly described as allowing a professional to exercise the invention on the basis of the description.
Right to workers' inventions
If it is unclear whether an employee is entitled to a patent on an invention or whether the patent must be obtained by the employer, the court may examine the matter under the Law on the Rights to Workers' Inventions.
Better right to invention
If prv is unable to determine who has ownership of an invention for which a patent has been applied for, the court may hear the case. Anyone who has not applied for a patent but considers that he is entitled to the invention must then bring an action before a court within two months.
Domstolen inleder med en förberedelse
Så snart domstolen har godkänt en stämningsansökan och utfärdat stämning börjar förberedelsen av målet. Den genomförs oftast både skriftligen och genom att parterna kallas till ett sammanträde. Syftet med förberedelsen är att alla inblandade ska få klart för sig vad tvisten egentligen handlar om och var parterna står. Det som gås igenom under en förberedelse är:
- Vad parterna vill, alltså deras yrkanden, och varför de tycker så.
- Vad det är parterna inte är överens om.
- Vilka bevis parterna tänker lägga fram.
- Vad som behöver göras innan målet kan avgöras.
- Om det är möjligt att parterna kan förlikas eller på något vis komma överens.
Domstolen ska alltid arbeta för att få fram ett snabbt avgörande av målet. Därför är det inte ovanligt att domaren för förlikningsdiskussioner med parterna redan under det första mötet om det är en muntlig förberedelse.
Om parterna inte vill förlikas gör domstolen en tidsplan där det står hur lång tid parterna har på sig att lämna in de bevis och andra uppgifter som hör till målet. I vissa fall kan domstolen boka in ett ytterligare möte, en fortsatt muntlig förberedelse. Tidsplanen kan också innehålla ett datum för huvudförhandling.
Huvudförhandlingen
När förberedelsen är avslutad är det dags för huvudförhandling, det som ibland kallas för rättegång. Rättegång är egentligen benämningen på hela handläggningen av ett mål i domstol.
Parter kan ha ett ombud
Du som part kan välja att ha ett ombud som företräder dig i målet. Du måste själv anlita ombudet och stå för kostnaden men du kan begära att motparten ersätter dig för kostnaden om du vinner målet. Ersättningen är dock begränsad om det som tvistas om inte uppgår till mer än 28 650 kr (det vill säga ett halvt prisbasbelopp, ett så kallat förenklat tvistemål (läs mer under ”Vad kostar det?”).
På samma vis kan du bli tvingad att betala din motparts kostnader om du förlorar målet.
Den som ska vara ombud måste vara lämplig för uppgiften och behärska det svenska språket. Domstolen kan neka en person att vara ombud om man anser att personen inte är lämplig.
Timeline
The time it takes to decide a patent case varies. The government's goal is that civil cases should take a maximum of seven months and most cases will also be settled within that time.
1. Application is submitted to the District Court
The court checks whether the application is complete.
1. Application is submitted to the District Court
- If there is no such thing, the court will order you who have applied to supplement what is missing.
- If you do not supplement with what is missing, or if you do not pay the application fee within a certain period of time, the court rejects your application. Then the case will not be tried.
2. District Court issues subpoena
The district court issues a subpoena and sends it to your counterparty, also referred to as the defendant in the case.
2. District Court issues subpoena
- The atmosphere must be served. This means that the court needs to confirm that the person being sued has actually received the summons. Either the person can confirm himself or the court can use other methods, such as a bailiff.
- Once the opposing party has received the summons, he has a certain amount of time to respond. The answer shall state whether the counterparty agrees to or opposes what is requested in the lawsuit. If the opposing party objects, the answer must also state why and what evidence there is for this.
- If the opposing party does not respond to the summons in time, the court may issue a default judgment. A default judgment means that the teasing party automatically loses the case.
3. The counterparty responds
If the opposing party acknowledges what is requested in the writ of summons, it may be possible for the court to rule right now.
3. The counterparty responds
- If the opposing party disputes, that is to say, does not agree to what is stated in the application, the case goes ahead and is to be prepared.
4. Preparation of the goal
During the preparation, the court shall clarify what the dispute is about and the parties may explain their point of content id.
4. Preparation of the goal
- The preparation begins with written procedure. The parties may then respond to each other's claims.
- The court then often calls for an oral preparation. Then the parties meet at the court and a judge leads the meeting. Sometimes the judge may hold conciliation discussions during the meeting to see if the parties can agree.
- It is important that the parties are well prepared to be able to answer questions and have documentation so that the court can investigate everything that is needed in the dispute.
- As a general rule, the Court of Justice summaries the case and sets a timetable for further proceedings.
- The preparation usually ends with the parties specifying what evidence they wish to plead.
5. Correspondence
Usually, part of the examination takes place in the form of an exchange of letters where the parties may submit documents supporting their respective claims and respond to the opposing party's claims.
5. Correspondence
- This will continue until the Court considers that the case is sufficiently investigated and the Court has all the material necessary for a judgment.
- If the case could have been sufficiently investigated in the oral preparation, the need for correspondence is less.
7. The court holds the main hearing
The court consists of two legal judges and two technical members, such as the Patent Council.
7. The court holds the main hearing
- During the main hearing, both parties are given the opportunity to present their written evidence and to question their and the defendant's witnesses.
- When the hearing is completed, the court may deliver the judgment. The most common thing, however, is that the judgment is delivered by being sent out in writing at a later date, which the President of the Court tells about when the hearing ends.
8. The judgment is delivered
Once the judgment has been delivered, it is sent to the parties or their representatives.
8. The judgment is delivered
- If it has been notified orally immediately after the main hearing, it will be sent out in writing within one week. However, if it is notified at a later date, it will also be sent out on this occasion.
- The sentence can be appealed within three weeks.
Interimistiskt förbud
Om du antar att det finns risk för att din varumärkesrätt skadas av motpartens agerande kan du begära att domstolen meddelar ett förbud mot detta innan domstolen dömer i målet.
I så fall måste du göra sannolikt att du har en varumärkesrätt, att motparten gör intrång i varumärkesrätten och att detta medför skada på varumärkesrätten.
En ytterligare förutsättning för att få ett interimistiskt förbud är att säkerhet ska ställas för motpartens eventuella skador till följd av ett beviljat interimistiskt förbud.