Kuvings Secures Non-Infringement Ruling for AUTO10 at UPC Court of Appeal; Sales Restrictions Lifted Across Europe

The Court of Appeal of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has ruled in favor of Kuvings in a patent dispute concerning slow juicers, overturning the first-instance decision of the Mannheim Local Division. The Court found that Kuvings’ flagship model, AUTO10, does not infringe the asserted patent.
As a result of this ruling, the cross-border injunction previously applied across several key European markets — including Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, and the Netherlands — has been lifted. Kuvings can therefore continue to distribute and sell the AUTO10 across these markets. 
The case concerned the alleged infringement of European patent EP 2 028 981. In the first instance, the UPC Local Division Mannheim had found infringement by Kuvings’ European subsidiary and its distribution partner and ordered a prohibition on sales.
On appeal, the Court adopted a stricter interpretation of the patent claims. It held that the patent is limited to a technical configuration involving specific fixed structural components and that the AUTO10 does not meet these structural requirements.
The Court further clarified that similarity in function or outcome alone is not sufficient to establish patent infringement. Instead, infringement must be assessed strictly based on whether the specific technical features defined in the patent claims are present. This confirms a structural, claim-based approach to patent interpretation.
In addition, the Court reaffirmed the limits of UPC jurisdiction. It upheld that non-UPC member states, such as Turkey, fall outside the Court’s jurisdiction and dismissed the related appeal. This confirms that the UPC’s authority is confined to its member states.

Coverage by specialized legal media, including JUVE Patent and MLex, highlighted that the Court of Appeal overturned the earlier infringement finding and set aside the cross-border injunction, while applying a more rigorous standard in interpreting the scope of the patent.

A Kuvings representative commented: “This decision provides important clarity on the key issues under dispute. We will continue to deliver our products and technology to consumers across Europe.”