Recently, the Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) issued a procedural ruling in the dispute between Amazon and InterDigital over an anti-temporary license injunction: Amazon's request to stay enforcement of the injunction was denied, and the injunction remains in effect.

The case centers on European Patent EP 2 449 782 held by InterDigital. Previously, on September 30, 2025, the Mannheim Regional Court granted InterDigital's application for a unilateral injunction. This injunction prohibits Amazon from seeking or advancing proceedings in any jurisdiction, including UK courts, that could impede InterDigital's enforcement of its patent rights before the UPC. Specifically, it bars Amazon from applying for court rulings on provisional licenses or asserting that InterDigital violated its RAND (Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory) obligations.

This injunction was subsequently upheld on December 22, 2025, following a review, with a potential penalty capped at €50 million. Amazon promptly filed an appeal and sought a stay of the injunction during the appeal process, citing “extreme urgency.”

Amazon argued that the injunction's prohibition against seeking final relief in the United States contained a manifest error of law. Without a stay, Amazon risked facing ex officio proceedings for substantial fines, causing irreparable harm that would render the appeal meaningless.

The UPC Court of Appeal determined that Amazon failed to demonstrate manifest error in the original injunction, leaving this substantive issue to be resolved in the appeal proceedings. Furthermore, the court noted that even if the Mannheim Regional Division were to initiate penalty proceedings ex officio in the future, Amazon would have ample opportunity to defend itself in those proceedings and retain its right to appeal. Therefore, the alleged risk of “irreparable harm” was deemed unfounded. In summary, this case does not meet the exceptions for suspension of enforcement established under Article 74(1) of the UPC Agreement and relevant case law. Accordingly, the court ruled to dismiss Amazon's application for suspension of enforcement.

The court further clarified that this ruling addresses only the procedural request for suspension and does not constitute a prejudgment on the substantive dispute in this case. The appeal proceedings will continue.

Attached Ruling:

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