Patent litigation in Europe - Opposition & Appeals
This advanced lecture series is dedicated to examining current topics in patent litigation in Europe, including UPC litigation and the emergence of new European patent jurisprudence. The series feeds the content of and leads up to the annual Litigation Matters conference. Participants can attend each session separately or the entire series. It is organised by the EPO in co-operation with the European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW) and the European Patent Litigators Association (EPLIT).
In this lecture we will offer a look into the appeal procedure before the Boards of Appeal at the European Patent Office and the Enlarged Board of Appeal. Topics that will be discussed are the Rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal and of the Enlarged Board of Appeal. The Lecture will also cover the role of relevant case law and will look at some of the most recent and interesting decisions.

Organised by
European Patent Academy
European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW)
European Patent Litigators Association (EPLIT)
Organised by
European Patent Academy
European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW)
European Patent Litigators Association (EPLIT)
Registration deadline
Speakers
Birgit Burm-Herregodts, legally qualified member of the Boards of Appeal of the EPO.
Since 2023 Birgit has been a legally qualified member of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office. As of the 1st of January 2025, she was appointed a legally qualified member of the Enlarged Board of Appeal. Prior to her appointment at the EPO, she served as a presiding judge at the Brussels Commercial Court in IP-related matters. Before starting her career in IP law, Birgit had acted as Deputy Public Prosecutor in Brussels, being responsible for International Cooperation in Criminal Matters.
Birgit holds a master’s degree in law from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) as well as a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property law from the Catholic University of Brussels (now Leuven).
Ian Karet, patent attorney, Linklaters.
Ian is an Intellectual Property Partner at Linklaters, specializing in IP and technology. He studied chemistry at Worcester College, University of Oxford, and law at the City Polytechnic. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and has served as Deputy Reporter General for the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). He is also a Deputy High Court Judge and the Interim Chair of the Charity Commission.
With 30 years of experience, Ian has developed expertise in IP disputes and has extensive knowledge of commercial issues, including licensing, structuring IP aspects of transactions, and insolvency. Throughout his career, Ian has led numerous high-profile IP disputes, including those involving the patentability of second medical uses, the patentability of computer programs and business methods, trademark disputes, and arbitration.