6.1.6 Postponement of the oral hearing at the instigation of the EPO

In T 679/14 the board found that it was unacceptable to repeatedly postpone oral proceedings without serious reasons, especially if it was done several times in the same examination proceedings after long delays had already occurred. The postponement of oral proceedings on five occasions at the instigation of the examining division without serious reasons constituted a procedural deficiency in the circumstances of the case.