At ABG Intellectual Property, we are pleased to announce that our colleagues from the Barcelona office, Sofia Pettersson and Irene Vázquez, have been included in the list of authorised representatives before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Both join our team members who were already registered when the system went live in June 2023:
- our managing partner, Juan Arias
- partner in the Biotechnology & Life Sciences department, Agustín Alconada, and
- head of the Engineering, Physics & ICTs department in our Barcelona office, Lluís Vilalta
With these additions, ABG now has five professionals qualified to represent clients before the UPC, reinforcing our ability to provide strategic advice on how to protect inventions in Europe—especially now that the Unitary Patent system is fully operational.
A complex pathway to the UPC
To obtain this qualification, Sofia and Irene have combined their day-to-day work as Patent Attorneys with the demanding European Patent Litigation Certificate (EPLC) programme, offered by the Centre d’Études Internationales de la Propriété Intellectuelle (CEIPI) and the Université de Strasbourg.
This qualification is particularly significant in Spain, as the country is not currently part of the system. As a result, Spanish lawyers may only act before the UPC if they are also authorised to practise in a participating EU Member State.
Consequently, most Spanish professionals currently listed as UPC representatives have followed the same route as Sofia and Irene: qualifying as European Patent Attorneys first, and then completing the EPLC.
It’s also worth noting that, when they passed the European Qualifying Examination (EQE)—in 2015 and 2013, respectively—they did so while continuing to perform their duties at ABG. This reflects their strong alignment with the values of our team, which is committed to continuous improvement and rigorous training.
Strong scientific background and excellence in IP
In addition to the above, Sofia Pettersson holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Institut Químic de Sarrià (Universitat Ramon Llull). Before joining ABG in 2010, she conducted research at both IQS and the Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany. Since 2024, she has been a partner at the firm and is a member of the Chemistry & Materials team.
Irene Vázquez joined ABG in 2009. She holds a PhD in Biomedicine from the Universitat de Barcelona and is an associate in our Biotechnology & Life Sciences department. She advises on the protection of inventions related to immunology, gene therapy, molecular biology, microbiology, and diagnostics, among other fields.
At ABG, we are proud to support the professional development of both Sofia and Irene. In addition to offering our warmest congratulations, we would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for the outstanding work they do as part of our team.
