II. BUSINESS DISTRIBUTION 2023
II.2 - Business distribution scheme of the Legal Board of Appeal for 2023
The Presidium,
pursuant to Rule 12b, paragraph 4, to the Implementing Regulations of the European Patent Convention,
having regard to Article 1, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal,
adopts the following business distribution scheme:
Article 1
Members of the Legal Board of Appeal
The members of the Legal Board of Appeal are:
Chair:
Wolfgang Sekretaruk
(until 30.04.2023)
Ingo Beckedorf
(as from 01.05.2023)
Members:
Ingo Beckedorf*
(until 30.04.2023)
Jean Geschwind
(* as from 01.05.2023)
Tamás Bokor
Christopher Heath
Bernhard Müller
David Rogers
Theodora Karamanli
Claus-Peter Brandt
(until 30.06.2023)
Fritz Blumer
Lukas Bühler
Dorothea Prietzel-Funk
Robert Cramer
Christof Schmidt
Peter Guntz
Wilhelm Ungler
Olga Loizou
Sofía Fernández de Córdoba
Martina Blasi
Richard Winkelhofer
Yvonne Podbielski
Jeannine Hoppe
Georg Decker
Paul de Heij
(until 28.02.2023)
Carl Josefsson
Aurélie Jimenez
Roberto Romandini
Nikolaus Obrovski
Anna Bacchin
Eric Mille
Claes Almberg
Karoline Kerber-Zubrzycka
Frédéric Bostedt
Laurence Basterreix
Article 2
Composition of the Board for a particular appeal
(1) The Chair shall determine the composition of the Board responsible for deciding it from amongst the Board members.
(2) In determining the composition, the Chair shall in particular take account of the workload of each member and the language requirements of the case.
(3) Where appeals pending before the Board are closely linked, in particular by involving similar legal or factual questions, the Chair may order that the board shall decide in the same composition.
Article 3
Replacement of members
If a member cannot or can no longer participate in a case for which they have been designated, the Chair shall designate another member of the Board to replace that member, having regard in particular to the criteria indicated in Article 2, paragraph 2.
Article 4
Exclusion and objection
(1) For the purpose of taking a decision on exclusion or objection under Article 24, paragraph 4, EPC, the Chair in the particular appeal or other members concerned shall be replaced by their alternates.
(2) The alternate to the Chair or another member shall be the next member on the list as set out in Article 1, with the first member on the list being the alternate to the last one on the list.
(3) If the alternate to the Chair or to another member is unavailable, the next member on the list as set out in Article 1 shall become the alternate.
Article 5
Term of validity
This business distribution scheme shall apply from 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2023.
Done at Haar on 22 December 2022
For the Presidium
The Chair
C. JOSEFSSON
* The Chair's deputy is indicated by an asterisk (*).