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(information updated on December 17, 2020)
In order to ensure the safety of our employees and clients, REGIMBEAU is
strictly following health recommendations, adapting our working conditions to
these exceptional circumstances.
As such, we inform you that:
- We are fully organized to ensure the continuity of our
activity, in particular via telecommuting and the secure digitization
of our work procedures.
- For IP proceedings, we are in regular
contact with national and European authorities as well as with our foreign
correspondents and are following the measures taken by the offices of each
country.
- European Patent Office (EPO) (https://www.epo.org/news-events/covid-19.html):
- In view of the current situation with
coronavirus (COVID-19), the EPO is extending the list of days on which
its filing offices are closed for the receipt of documents and will then
be closed from 24 December 2020 to 8 January 2021 included. (Notice from the President
of the EPO dated 16 December 2020). Consequently, any
deadlines which fall on these dates will be automatically extended to the
next working day, on 11 January 2021.
- Oral proceedings in examination will
continue to be held by videoconference in accordance with the Decision of
the President of the EPO
dated 1 April 2020 concerning oral proceedings by videoconference before
examining divisions.
- The "pilot project" to make oral
proceedings possible in opposition proceedings is modified and extended:
where oral proceedings have been requested, or are deemed useful by the
Opposition Division, the parties will now be summoned to oral proceedings
which will take place by videoconference.
- Oral proceedings before an Examining
Division or an Opposition Division may only take place on the premises of
the EPO if there are serious grounds for not holding such proceedings in
the form of a video conference (Article
2 and Article 2(2) of the Decision of the President of the European
Patent Office of 10 November 2020 concerning the amendment and extension
of the pilot project relating to the holding of oral proceedings by
videoconference before the Opposition Divisions).
- Regarding oral proceedings before the
Boards of Appeal, in the light of the latest developments in the
coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the Boards of Appeal have reassessed
some of their recently introduced measures
concerning their organisation. It should be noted that these measures
differ from those decided for oral proceedings
before the Examination and Opposition Divisions. In particular, the
EPO continues to hold oral proceedings before the Boards of Appeal on
site, although these oral proceedings may now also be held by
videoconference, provided that the parties concerned agree.
Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to your
contacts at REGIMBEAU, preferably by e-mail to their usual address.
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