Video conferences will become the default format of oral opposition proceedings in at the European Patent Office as of 2023. Only under certain circumstances, and when the opposition division permits it, will oral proceedings in opposition be conducted in person.
A decision to that effect was announced yesterday, a week after the publication of the final report on a pilot project, which showed over 77% of 357 respondents in interviews on oral proceedings by video conference (VICO) found these to be good (39%) or very good (38%).
According to the report: ‘A majority of users (57%) also declared that their most recent experience of oral proceedings by VICO was better than in the past, or at least the same (36%). Users have been very appreciative of the new practice to allow submissions by email to the opposition division (86% think this “good” or “very good”, 357 responses).’ Read more