Accord Healthcare v Novartis (CFI, 10 April 2025)

Dhenne Avocats · 10 October 2026

Our analysis

Summary

By order of 10 April 2025 (UPC_CFI_698/2024, ORD_12069/2025), Judge-rapporteur Postiglione (Milan Central Division) granted ALIUD PHARMA, a third party to the action for a declaration of non-infringement of EP 2 501 384 brought by Accord Healthcare against Novartis, access to the statement of claim and the defence, with their annexes. The Registry is to produce a redacted copy within 15 days. The order defines the extent of redaction of personal data once proceedings are closed.

Question

Once the action had been closed by settlement and Novartis had withdrawn its objection, which personal data had to be redacted, and by whom, in the pleadings disclosed to the third party?

Decision

In the absence of any objection, the request could be granted. As the proceedings were closed, Novartis could no longer produce a redacted copy under Rule 262.2, so the Registry would do so. Only the handwritten signature of a natural person falls within the General Data Protection Regulation, so the parties’ digital signatures are not redacted. As for email addresses, only those revealing a person’s first and last name, or from which the person can be identified, are blacked out. Generic company addresses remain visible.

Key points for practice

• Once proceedings are closed, redaction of documents disclosed to the public falls to the Registry, since no party is in a position to provide it.
• Redaction is confined to data identifying a natural person: digital signatures and generic email addresses remain legible.

Provisions applied

Rules of Procedure

Rules 262.1(b) and 262.2

Other provisions

Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Art. 4(1)

Case law cited

No UPC decision is cited, CJEU, C-200/23.

Prepared by Dhenne Avocats from the official decision, consulted on 10 October 2026. The database is updated every week, on Friday. Only the official text is authoritative.