List of cases for 2020 published
Article 1(2) of the revised Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA 2020) provides that the President of the Boards of Appeal publishes, before the beginning of each working year, a list of cases for the coming year. In anticipation of the entry into force of the revised Rules on 1 January 2020, the President of the Boards of Appeal has decided to publish the first list of cases already this year.
The list of cases for 2020 has now been published on the Boards of Appeal website. This list shows for each Board the cases in which the Board is likely to hold oral proceedings, issue a communication under Rule 100, paragraph 2, EPC, or issue a decision in written proceedings.
For each case, the list displays its appeal case number as well as the application number, and it will also feature a direct link to the file in the European Patent Register. The website dedicated to the list can be searched just like any other website by using the search function in the browser (or by pressing Ctrl+F) and entering the appeal case number or application number.
The list is intended to make the work of the Boards more transparent and predictable. It is provisional only, to allow sufficient flexibility to deal with unforeseen developments during the year (e.g. withdrawal of appeal, postponement of oral proceedings, deemed withdrawal of application due to non-payment of a renewal fee, request for acceleration, etc.).