Official inauguration of the new building for the Boards of Appeal
The new building for the Boards of Appeal Unit of the EPO in Haar, Munich, was officially inaugurated yesterday. The ceremony was attended by EPO Vice President for International and Legal Affairs Raimund Lutz, Boards of Appeal President Carl Josefsson, the Chair of the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation, Christoph Ernst, and Gabriele Müller, the Mayor of Haar, as well as by members of the Boards of Appeal and delegations from the Administrative Council.
"Enhancing the perception of the independence of the Boards of Appeal of the EPO has been a long-standing project of our organisation. Today's inauguration marks an important step in the reform of the Boards. We wish Carl Josefsson and all his staff a very successful start to this new chapter in the Boards' operations," Raimund Lutz said .
Boards of Appeal President Carl Josefsson said: "Our move to a separate location is an important sign of our independence. We warmly welcome parties, representatives and the public to our new premises".
"The Boards of Appeal are the guarantor of the quality of the EPO processes and products. Council, Office, Boards' members and staff will strive jointly to make the recent reform a resounding success," added Christoph Ernst, Chairman of the Administrative Council.
The Boards of Appeal have been operating at the new location since 9 October 2017 and the move to a separate building was undertaken as part of a comprehensive set of reforms adopted by the Administrative Council of the European Patent Organisation in June 2016 to strengthen efficiency and the perception of independence. The new building will host around 240 employees of the Boards of Appeal Unit.