2nd Nov 2022
The deadline of 9-months from grant for opposing a European patent is one of the few absolute deadlines set by the European Patent Office but it does not represent the last chance to get involved in EP opposition proceedings. Even if you have missed this 9-month term there is still, under very specific circumstances, the opportunity to “intervene” in pending opposition (or opposition-appeal) proceedings.
21st Apr 2022
The EPO has recently extended the pilot program for oral proceedings by videoconference (VICO) before opposition divisions until 31 December 2022. This means that opposition oral proceedings will continue to be held by VICO until the end of this year, unless there are serious reasons not to.
24th Jan 2020
Revisions to the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA) came into force on 1st January 2020. The EPO’s stated aims are to increase efficiency, predictability for the parties concerned and harmonisation in the way appeals are handled by the Boards of Appeal. Additionally, the revised RPBA introduce changes to the way cases are managed to allow the Boards of Appeal to organise their resources appropriately.