Cyra Nargolwalla & Guylene Kiesel Le Cosquer comment in an article from JUVE Patent

From January 4 until at least September 2021, the European Patent Office (EPO) Opposition Divisions will no longer require all parties’ agreement for Oral Proceedings via videoconference . 

JUVE Patent, online platform with covering the European patent market, interviewed European IP attorneys to understand advantages and disadvantages of this important change in EPO practice.

Cyra Nargolwalla, Partner at Plasseraud IP, comments, “By well-equipping itself for oral proceedings by video conferencing, both in opposition and examination, the EPO has clearly manifested its intent to carry on with patent proceedings despite the health crisis. It allows for continuation of all procedures and equal access to justice for all.”

Guylène Kiesel Le Cosquer, President of the National Council of IP Attorneys (CNCPI), states, “The main advantages of oral proceedings held by video conferencing without the consent of the parties are economic. Oral proceedings held by video conferencing are less time-consuming and do not involve travel expenses for parties or representatives who are not based in the Hague, Berlin or Munich.”

Read the full article: JUVE Patent - Compulsory video conferencing reshuffles the cards for patent attorneys – 25 November 2020