July 2023 marks the third anniversary of the introduction of the specialised IP courts in Poland. However, in April 2022 a new bill on the amendments to the Common Courts Act was presented, proposing several structural changes to the Polish court systems – including one regarding the IP courts. One...

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July 2023 marks the third anniversary of the introduction of the specialised IP courts in Poland. However, in April 2022 a new bill on the amendments to the Common Courts Act was presented, proposing several structural changes to the Polish court systems – including one regarding the IP courts. One such proposal would change the current court departments into chambers, with separate chambers for family law, criminal law and civil law. Additionally, each court would have the option to establish a commercial cases chamber, where IP disputes would be settled. Local practitioners are worried here, as this phrasing could be interpreted to mean the IP courts would no longer exist. There is also rising concern about the introduction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and what impact this will have on the country, despite Poland not being a member. Practitioners are doing their utmost to prepare for the new regime, and will be in a good position to advise clients on its developments. 

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