Article 12
Citation: OJ EPO 2026, A12
Online publication date: 30.1.2026
BOARDS OF APPEAL
Business distribution scheme of the Technical Boards of Appeal for 2026
The Presidium,
pursuant to Rule 12b, paragraph 4, of the Implementing Regulations to 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 scheme1:
Article 1
Allocation of appeals to the Technical Boards of Appeal
(1) Appeals shall be allocated to the Boards on the basis of the main classification of the International Patent Classification attributed to the application or patent at the time of filing of the appeal as follows:
Board of Appeal 3.2.01
A43 (exc. D); A44-45;
A47B, C, F, G;
B23;
B60 (exc. L, M); B61 (exc. L);
B62 (exc. B, M); B63-64;
B66 (exc. B);
E01C19, 23;
F21;
F41 (exc. G); F42
Board of Appeal 3.2.02
A41-42, 46;
A61 (exc. C, F2/00-2/20, F2/26-17/00, K, L, N, P, Q);
B62B, M; B66B, 68
Board of Appeal 3.2.03
B21B; B22;
C10B; C23;
E01 (exc. C19, 23);
E02-04, 99;
F22; F23 (exc. N); F24-28
Board of Appeal 3.2.04
A01 (exc. H, K67, N); A21 (exc. D);
A22; A23N;
A43D; A47 (exc. B, C, F, G);
A61F13-17;
A62 (exc. D); A63, 99;
F02; F03 (exc. H); F04
Board of Appeal 3.2.05
B29, 31, 41-44;
B65H; B99;
D01 (exc. C, F); D02-05;
D06 (exc. L-Q); D07, 99;
F01; F15; F16J-T; F17
Board of Appeal 3.2.06
–
Board of Appeal 3.2.07
A24 (exc. B15, F);
B02; B03 (exc. D); B04-05;
B07 (exc. C); B08-09, 24-26;
B27 (exc. K); B28, 30, 33;
B65 (exc. H); B67;
C03B; C13B5, 15; C14B;
D21 (exc. C, H);
Board of Appeal 3.2.08
A61C, F (exc. 2/24, 13-17);
B21 (exc. B);
E05-06;
F16B-H; F99
Board of Appeal 3.3.01
–
Board of Appeal 3.3.02
A01N; A61L;
B01D53/00-53/24, D61-71;
C07 (exc. C, H21, K1, 2, 14-19);
C09 (exc. C, J);
C10 (exc. B, G, J, L); C11D;
C12 (exc. M, N, P, Q);
C99
Board of Appeal 3.3.03
C08 (exc. J);
C09J
Board of Appeal 3.3.04
A01H; A01K67; A61K31/00-31/375,
36, 38, 39, 41, 45, 48; A61P;
C07K1, 2, 14-19; C12N15/82-15/84
Board of Appeal 3.3.05
A62D;
B01 (exc. D53/00-53/24; D61-71);
B03D; B27K;
C01-02; C03C; C04-06;
C09C; C10G, J, L; C11B, C; C14C;
C21; C22; C25; C30;
D01C, F; D06L-Q; D21C, H;
G03C;
H01M
Board of Appeal 3.3.06
–
Board of Appeal 3.3.07
A61K6; A61K8;
A61K9, 31 (exc. 31/00-31/375), 33, 35, 47, 49-51, 101-135;
A61Q;
Board of Appeal 3.3.08
C07H21; C12M, N (exc. N15/82-15/84), P, Q;
C40B;
G01N33
Board of Appeal 3.3.09
A21D;
A23 (exc. N); A24B15;
B32;
C07C; C08J;
C13 (exc. B5, 15);
G03F7/00-7/085, 7/42;
G03G9/08-9/135;
H01L51/00, 51/30, 51/46, 51/54;
H01S3/14-3/227;
H10K85
Board of Appeal 3.3.10
–
Board of Appeal 3.4.01
A61N;
G01P, R, S, T; G06K (exc. 9); G09 (exc. B, F, G); G10, 12, 21, 99;
H01P, Q; H05 (exc. F, G, K)
Board of Appeal 3.4.02
B07C; B60L, M; B81-82;
F23N; F41G;
G01B-N (exc. N33); G01Q; G01W; G02; G07B (exc. 15);
G08 (exc. G);
H02 (exc. S); H03 (exc. M), 99; H05G
Board of Appeal 3.4.03
B06;
E21;
F03H;
G01V; G03 (exc. C, F7/00-7/085, 7/42, G9/08-9/135), G04; G05D;
G07 (exc. B); G09B, F ; G;
H01B, C, F, G, H, J, K, L (exc. 51/00, 51/30, 51/46, 51/54), R, S (exc. 3/14-3/227), T;
H02S; H05F, K;
H10 (exc. K85)
Board of Appeal 3.5.01
Until 30.04.2026:
A24F;
G05B; G06Q
As from 01.05.2026:
–
Board of Appeal 3.5.02
–
Board of Appeal 3.5.03
–
Board of Appeal 3.5.04
G06T; G08G;
H03M13;
H04H, N
Board of Appeal 3.5.05
A24F;
(as from 01.05.2026)
B61L;
G05 (exc. B, D);
G06F3, 12, 13, 19; G07B15; G16;
H04 (exc. H, N)
Board of Appeal 3.5.06
G06 (exc. F3, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 30, 40, K, Q, T); G06K9;
(until 30.04.2026)
G06 (exc. F3, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 30, 40, K, T); G06K9;
(as from 01.05.2026)
H03M (exc. 13)
Board of Appeal 3.5.07
G05B;
(as from 01.05.2026)
G06F11, 15, 16, 17, 30, 40; G11
(2) If
(a) because of the technical content of an appeal or
(b) for the purpose of balancing out the workload of Boards,
it is appropriate to allocate the appeal or a group of appeals otherwise than as provided by paragraph 1, the Chairs of the Boards concerned shall endeavour to reach agreement on the allocation, failing which the Presidium shall decide.
The parties concerned by such a reallocation shall be informed in writing.
Article 2
Allocation of members to the Technical Boards of Appeal
The members of the individual Technical Boards of Appeal are:2
Board of Appeal 3.2.01
Ch: Giovanni Pricolo
TM: Hartwich Geuss*
(until 31.05.2026)
TM: Juan José de Acha González*
(*as from 01.06.2026)
TM: Sophie Mangin
TM: Vincenzo Vinci
TM: Michael Geisenhofer
TM: Bettina Spitzer
TM: Andrea Wagner
LM: Peter Guntz
LM: Olga Loizou
LM: Sofía Fernández de Córdoba
LM: Aurélie Jimenez
LM: Monika Millet
Board of Appeal 3.2.02
Ch: Marco Alvazzi Delfrate
TM: David Ceccarelli*
TM: Thomas Rosenblatt
TM: Stephanie Böttcher
TM: Samuel Dennler
TM: Axel Martinez Möller
LM: Christof Schmidt
LM: Wilhelm Ungler
LM: Yvonne Podbielski
LM: Nikolaus Obrovski
Board of Appeal 3.2.03
Ch: Christoph Herberhold
TM: Bernhard Miller*
TM: Rafael Baltanás y Jorge
TM: Michael Olapinski
TM: Bernd Goers
LM: Jeannine Hoppe
LM: Nikolaus Obrovski
LM: Frédéric Bostedt
Board of Appeal 3.2.04
Ch: Andrea Pieracci
TM: Martin Hannam
TM: Jonathan Wright
TM: Gabriel Martin González
TM: Pedro Cipriano
TM: Sabine Hillebrand
LM: Christopher Heath*
LM: Tamás Bokor
LM: Karoline Kerber-Zubrzycka
LM: Monika Millet
LM: Stefanie Ruhwinkel
Board of Appeal 3.2.05
Ch: Philipp Lanz
TM: Oliver Randl*
TM: Christian Kujat
TM: Tom Vermeulen
TM: Markus Dorfstätter
TM: Matthias Holz
LM: Martina Blasi
LM: Jeannine Hoppe
LM: Anna Bacchin
LM: Birgit Burm-Herregodts
Board of Appeal 3.2.06
–
Board of Appeal 3.2.07
Ch: Guy Patton
TM: Anja Beckman*
TM: Vincenzo Bevilacqua
TM: Antonio Cano Palmero
TM: Stephanie Watson
TM: Benjamin Paul
LM: Sofía Fernández de Córdoba
LM: Yvonne Podbielski
LM: Eric Mille
LM: Stefanie Ruhwinkel
Board of Appeal 3.2.08
Ch: Paola Acton
TM: Matthew Foulger
TM: Andreas Björklund
TM: Gerhard Buchmann
TM: Christoph Vetter
LM: Christof Schmidt*
LM: Karoline Kerber-Zubrzycka
LM: Frédéric Bostedt
Board of Appeal 3.3.01
–
Board of Appeal 3.3.02
Ch: Marcus O. Müller
TM: Michele Maremonti*
TM: Paul O'Sullivan
TM: Matthias Kollmannsberger
TM: Achim Lenzen
TM: Samuel Bertrand
LM: Lukas Bühler
LM: Martina Blasi
LM: Roberto Romandini
LM: Birgit Burm-Herregodts
Board of Appeal 3.3.03
Ch: Daniele Semino
TM: Olivier Dury*
TM: François Rousseau
TM: Damien Marquis
TM: Matthieu Barrère
LM: Wilhelm Ungler
LM: Anna Bacchin
LM: Laurence Basterreix
LM: Monika Millet
Board of Appeal 3.3.04
Ch: Magdalena Pregetter
TM: Regina Hauss*
TM: Ashok Chakravarty
TM: Silke Albrecht
TM: Dulce Luis Alves
TM: Berthold Rutz
TM: Oskar Lechner
LM: Lukas Bühler
LM: Martina Blasi
LM: Roberto Romandini
LM: Anna Bacchin
Board of Appeal 3.3.05
Ch + LM: Richard Winkelhofer
TM: Guy Glod*
TM: Thorsten Burkhardt
TM: Sonja Besselmann
TM: Ralf Elsäßer
TM: Josef Roider
LM: Olga Loizou
Board of Appeal 3.3.06
–
Board of Appeal 3.3.07
Ch: Ambrogio Usuelli
TM: Denis Boulois
TM: José Molina de Alba
(until 28.02.2026)
TM: Eric Duval
TM: Martin Steendijk
TM: Jennifer Lécaillon
LM: Yvonne Podbielski*
LM: Aurélie Jimenez
LM: Laurence Basterreix
LM: Stefanie Ruhwinkel
Board of Appeal 3.3.08
Ch: Teresa Sommerfeld
TM: Bart Claes*
TM: Renate Morawetz
TM: Marco Montrone
TM: Daniel Pilat
TM: Anja Schmitt
LM: David Rogers
LM: Lukas Bühler
LM: Olga Loizou
LM: Anna Bacchin
Board of Appeal 3.3.09
Ch: Andreas Haderlein
TM: Francesco Rinaldi*
TM: Andrea Veronese
TM: Sergio Arrojo
TM: Markus Ansorge
TM: Armin Zellner
TM: Christian Meiners
LM: Georg Decker
LM: Aurélie Jimenez
LM: Roberto Romandini
LM: Nikolaus Obrovski
LM: Laurence Basterreix
Board of Appeal 3.3.10
–
Board of Appeal 3.4.01
Ch: Paul Scriven
TM: Pascal Fontenay*
TM: Thomas Zinke
TM: Wojciech Zubrzycki
(as from 01.05.2026)
TM: Torsten Petelski
TM: Ana Medeiros Gaspar
LM: Bernhard Müller
LM: David Rogers
LM: Lukas Bühler
LM: Laurence Basterreix
(as from 01.05.2026)
Board of Appeal 3.4.02
Ch: Roland Bekkering
TM: Gary Flyng
TM: André Hornung
TM: Harald Bronold
TM: Christian Kallinger
TM: Fabian Giesen
TM: Claudia Vassoille
LM: Bernhard Müller*
LM: David Rogers
LM: Peter Guntz
LM: Wilhelm Ungler
LM: Martina Blasi
LM: Georg Decker
Board of Appeal 3.4.03
Ch: Thomas Häusser
TM: Michael Stenger
TM: Emmanuel Papastefanou
TM: Judith Thomas
TM: Andreas Böhm-Pélissier
TM: Marc Ley
LM: Tamás Bokor*
LM: Christopher Heath
LM: Georg Decker
LM: Eric Mille
Board of Appeal 3.5.01
Ch: William Chandler
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Marcus Höhn*
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Norbert Glaser
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Annika Wahrenberg
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Wojciech Zubrzycki
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Raimund Moser
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Luca Falò
(until 30.04.2026)
TM: Ivayla Kürten
(until 30.04.2026)
LM: David Rogers
(until 30.04.2026)
LM: Christof Schmidt
(until 30.04.2026)
LM: Eric Mille
(until 30.04.2026)
LM: Laurence Basterreix
(until 30.04.2026)
As from 01.05.2026:
–
Board of Appeal 3.5.02
–
Board of Appeal 3.5.03
–
Board of Appeal 3.5.04
Ch: Brigitte Willems
TM: Marc Paci*
TM: Alexander Seeger
TM: Benjamin Le Guen
TM: Francesc Sanahuja
LM: Bernhard Müller
LM: Wilhelm Ungler
LM: Georg Decker
LM: Birgit Burm-Herregodts
Board of Appeal 3.5.05
Ch: Kemal Bengi-Akyuerek
TM: Klaus Schenkel*
TM: Marcus Höhn
(as from 01.05.2026)
TM: Annika Wahrenberg
(as from 01.05.2026)
TM: Eyüp Konak
TM: Javier Eraso Helguera
TM: Karel Peirs
TM: Peter Tabery
LM: Christopher Heath
LM: David Rogers
(as from 01.05.2026)
LM: Jeannine Hoppe
LM: Roberto Romandini
LM: Frédéric Bostedt
Board of Appeal 3.5.06
Ch: Martin Müller
TM: Alan Teale*
TM: Georges Zucka
TM: Norbert Glaser
(as from 01.05.2026)
TM: Teodor Alecu
TM: Raimund Moser
(as from 01.05.2026)
TM: Miguel Domingo Vecchioni
LM: Bernhard Müller
LM: Aurélie Jimenez
LM: Eric Mille
(as from 01.05.2026)
LM: Karoline Kerber-Zubrzycka
Board of Appeal 3.5.07
Ch: Nikolay Uhlmann
TM: Paula San-Bento Furtado*
TM: Ronald de Man
TM: Michael Jaedicke
TM: Corinne Barel-Faucheux
TM: Luca Falò
(as from 01.05.2026)
TM: Ivayla Kürten
(as from 01.05.2026)
LM: Christof Schmidt
(as from 01.05.2026)
LM: Peter Guntz
LM: Sofía Fernández de Córdoba
LM: Eric Mille
Article 3
Composition of the Board in 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 technical and language requirements of the case.
(3) If the circumstances of the appeal make it necessary, the Chair shall designate a technically qualified member from another Board. This shall be done in agreement with the Chair of that Board.
(4) If the circumstances of the appeal make it necessary, the Chair shall designate a legally qualified member from another Board. This shall be done in agreement with the Chair of the Legal Board of Appeal.
(5) The President of the Boards of Appeal shall be informed of the application of paragraphs 3 and 4.
Article 4
Replacement of members
(1) If a member designated pursuant to Article 3 or 4 cannot or can no longer participate in the case, or if a change in the business distribution scheme occasions it, the Chair shall designate another member of the Board to replace that member, having regard in particular to the criteria indicated in Article 3, paragraph 2.
(2) If a technically qualified member of one of the Boards listed below cannot be replaced in accordance with paragraph 1, the Chair shall designate a member of one of the Boards of the group as defined below, subject to the agreement of the Chair of that Board and having regard in particular to the criteria indicated in Article 3, paragraph 2:
- Boards 3.2.01, 3.2.03, 3.2.04, 3.2.05 and 3.2.07;
- Boards 3.2.02 and 3.2.08;
- Boards 3.3.04, 3.3.07 and 3.3.08;
- Boards 3.3.02, 3.3.03, 3.3.05, and 3.3.09;
- Boards 3.4.03 and 3.5.01 (until 30.04.2026); and
- Boards 3.5.05 and 3.5.07.
(3) If a technically qualified member cannot be replaced in accordance with paragraph 1 or 2, the Chair shall designate a technically qualified member from another Board. This shall be done in agreement with the Chair of that Board and with regard in particular to the criteria indicated in Article 3, paragraph 2.
(4) If a legally qualified member cannot be replaced in accordance with paragraph 1, the Chair shall designate a legally qualified member from another Board. This shall be done in agreement with the Chair of the Legal Board of Appeal and with regard in particular to the criteria indicated in Article 3, paragraph 2.
(5) The President of the Boards of Appeal shall be informed of the application of paragraphs 3 and 4.
Article 5
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 a technically qualified member shall be the next technically qualified member on the list for the Board as set out in Article 2, with the first member on the list being the alternate to the last one on the list.
(3) The alternate to a legally qualified member shall be the next legally qualified member on the list for the Board as set out in Article 2, with the first member on the list being the alternate to the last one on the list.
(4) The alternate to the Chair shall be determined according to paragraphs 2 or 3, depending on their (technical or legal) qualification.
(5) If the alternate according to paragraphs 2 to 4 is unavailable, the next member on the respective list shall become the alternate.
(6) If a full Board cannot be composed applying these provisions, alternates shall be drawn from the next Board in the same technical field, according to the same principles, with Board 3.2.01 being the next to Board 3.2.08, Board 3.3.02 being the next to Board 3.3.09, Board 3.4.01 being the next to Board 3.4.03, Board 3.5.01 being the next to Board 3.5.07 (until 30.04.2026) and Board 3.5.04 being the next to Board 3.5.07 (from 01.05.2026).
Article 6
Designation of a replacement member by the President of the Boards of Appeal
If a member of a Board cannot be replaced by applying Article 4, the President of the Boards of Appeal shall designate the replacement member.
Article 7
Composition of the Board where a number of appeals are closely linked
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 8
Transitional provisions
Cases in which before 1 January 2026 a communication has been sent or oral proceedings have been appointed shall not be affected by this business distribution scheme, nor shall those cases individually allocated in transitional provisions of previous business distribution schemes.
This provision applies mutatis mutandis if the business distribution scheme is amended during the working year.
Article 9
Term of validity
This business distribution scheme shall apply from 1 January 2026 until 31 December 2026.
Done at Haar on 1 December 2025
For the Presidium
The Chair
C. JOSEFSSON
1 Editor’s note: Amendments to the business distribution scheme in the course of the year will be published only on the relevant web-section of the Boards of Appeal.
2 The Chairs are indicated by (Ch), their deputies by an asterisk (*), technically qualified members by (TM) and legally qualified members by (LM).