Plan to relocate Boards of Appeal presented to EPO member states
Munich, 14 December 2021 - EPO President António Campinos and President of the Boards of Appeal Carl Josefsson have made a joint proposal today to the EPO's member states to relocate the Boards of Appeal from the Munich district of Haar to the city centre. President Campinos has invited the Boards of Appeal to occupy one of the EPO's buildings in the PschorrHöfe complex on Bayerstrasse. The move would facilitate access for staff, patent applicants and the public, whilst reducing costs and promoting efficiency.
President of the Boards of Appeal Carl Josefsson said: "The opportunity of having a more central location in the city of Munich is very much appreciated. The location at the PschorrHöfe 7 building facilitates access to the Boards of Appeal for users - parties and representatives - and the public."
EPO President António Campinos said: "As we move towards a new normal, there is increasing flexibility in how and where we work. Widespread teleworking also means we can make more efficient use of our office space. So now we have a fantastic opportunity to make sure our colleagues from the Boards of Appeal have premises once again in our central Munich buildings. The BoA and EPO are independent parts of the same professional community - so this is an opportunity we want to take."
A detailed proposal for the relocation of the Boards of Appeal will be presented for approval of the EPO member states in March 2022, with the move planned as of 2025/2026.
About the EPO
With 6 400 staff, the European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Headquartered in Munich with offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna, the EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through the EPO's centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries, covering a market of some 700 million people. The EPO is also the world's leading authority in patent information and patent searching.
About the Boards of Appeal
The Boards of Appeal are the first and final judicial instance in the procedures before the European Patent Office (EPO). They are independent of the Office in their decisions and are bound only by the European Patent Convention. The Boards of Appeal provide an independent review of decisions taken by the Receiving Section, Examining Divisions, Opposition Divisions and the Legal Division of the EPO.
Media contacts European Patent Office
Luis Berenguer Giménez
Principal
Director Communication / Spokesperson
Tel.: +49 89 2399 1833
press@epo.org
Media contacts Boards of Appeal
Nikolaus Obrovski
Jeannine Hoppe
Spokespersons of the Boards of Appeal
boa-press@epo.org