Other information I find have the same consequence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Patent_Convention#Opposition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Pat

Other information I find have the same consequence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Patent_Convention#Opposition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Patent_Convention#Oppo...): "A European patent is also non-unitary in that it may be revoked in one Contracting State while maintained in another. However, a national court in one Contracting State may not revoke a European patent in another Contracting State." This is a bit surprising. At the beginning of the Samsung vs Apple trials, also in Germany, it was widely reported that the german ruling would have EU-wide effects. Those were patent cases as well... Maybe the difference is between invalidating patents and deciding whether a patent is infringed by another party.