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EuropeanPatentOffice(EPO)OppositionDocketing

EPOOppositionDocketing

•Presenters:o AnnMcCrackin,President,BlackHillsIP,LLC

o JenniferBommentre,ForeignFilingParalegal,Schwegman,Lundberg&Woessner,P.A.

o LindaSwanson,RetiredForeignFilingParalegal,Schwegman,Lundberg&Woessner,P.A.

Topics

• FilingofanOpposition• OppositionDivisionProceedings• BoardofAppealProceedings• EnlargedBoardofAppeal(verylimitedproceduraloption)• PatentMaintainedinAmendedForm

FilinganOpposition

• Anoppositioncanbefiledwithin9monthsofthegrantofapatent(grantisthepublicationofthenoticeofgrant)• Ifyouareactingfortheopponent,thedateneedstobedocketed

o Noticeofoppositiono Groundsofopposition

Ø NoveltyandinventivestepØ Non-statutorysubjectmatterØ AddedsubjectmatterØ Non-enablingdisclosure

• Howtodocket?o DocketTask:9monthsfromthegrantdateforthenoticeandgroundsofoppositionifOpponent

o NoactionneededifPatentOwner

OppositionDivisionProceedingOverview

OppositionDivisionProceedings

• CommunicationofNoticeofOppositiono ThisistheinitialnoticetothePatentOwnerfromtheEPO.o NotifiesthePatentOwnerthataNoticeofOppositionhasbeenfiledifthecorrectformalitieshavebeenmet

o Containsthedetailsofthetheopposition.

• Howtodocket?o DocketTask:Doesnothaveaduedateforrespondingo Recommendaddingaremindertomonitorforreceiptof(R.79(1)EPC)communication

o EPOwillissueafurthercommunicationsettingadeadlineforthepatentownertorespondaftertheNoticeofOppositionhasbeenexaminedforformalities

CommunicationofNoticeofOpposition(Excerpt)


• CommunicationofNoticesofOpposition(R.79(1)EPC)o ThisisthesecondnoticetothePatentOwnerfromtheEPO.o Formlooksverysimilartothefirstnotice,buthasaninvitationtofileobservationsandamendments.

• Howtodocket?o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”if PatentOwnero Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)

• ExtensionsAvailable?o 2-monthextensionmayberequested

CommunicationofNoticesofOpposition(R.79(1)EPC)(Excerpt)


• TheOppositionDivisionsendsacommunicationtotheOpponenttoenabletheOpponenttocommentontheobservationsandamendmentsfilebythePatentOwner• Howtodocket?

o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”ifOpponento Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)



• SummonstoAttendOralProceedingsPursuanttoRule115(1)EPCo ThisisnoticefromtheEPOwiththeschedulingdetailsfortheOralProceeding.o TheoralproceedingisahearinginfrontoftheOppositionDivision.o TheSummonsmayincludeapreliminary,non-bindingopinionoftheoppositiondivision.

• Howtodocket?o ExampleDocketEntry:“OralProceedings”

Ø DateandtimeforOralProceedingarelistedinthisdocument.o ExampleDocketEntry:“WrittenSubmission/Documents– Due”

Ø Deadlineforfinalwrittensubmissionsand/orarguments(R.116EPC)arealsolistedinthisdocument.Ø Deadlineisusually1to2monthsbeforedateoftheOralProceeding.

• Extensionsavailable?o DateoftheoralproceedingisNOTextendable.

SummonstoAttendOralProceedingsPursuanttoRule115(1)EPC -- (Excerpt)

OppositionDivisionProceeding

• InterlocutoryDecisioninOppositionProceedings(Art.101(3)(a)and106(2)EPC)o ThisisthewrittendecisionoftheOppositionDivision.o ThisisandecisionthatisappealablebyeitherthePatentOwnerortheOpponent

• Howtodocket?o ExampleDocketEntry:“NoticeofAppeal– Due”

Ø Deadlineis2monthsfromthenotificationofthedecision.Ø 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)

o ExampleDocketEntry:“StatementofGroundsofAppeal– Due”Ø Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthedecision.Ø 10dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)

• Extensionsavailable?o BothdeadlinesareNOTextendable.

InterlocutoryDecisioninOppositionProceedings(Art.101(3)(a)and106(2)EPC)– (Excerpt)

BoardofAppealOverview

BoardofAppealProceedings

• CommencementofProceedingsbeforetheBoardofAppealo ThisisanoticetothePatentOwnerorOpponentfromtheEPO.o NotifiesthePatentOwnerorOpponentthatanAppealhasbeenfiledbytheOpponentorPatentOwner.

o Thenoticeisonlysentiftheappealmeetstheformalities(feepaid,noticeandgroundsfiledintime)

• Howtodocket?o Nodocketentryatthistime

CommencementofProceedingsbeforetheBoardofAppeal(Excerpt)


• TheBoardofAppealsendacommunicationtothenonappealingpartytoenablethenonappealingpartytocommentonthegroundsofappeal• Howtodocket?

o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”o Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)



• TheBoardofAppealsendacommunicationtotheAppellanttoenabletheAppellanttocommentontheobservationsandamendmentsfilebythenonappealingparty• Howtodocket?

o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”o Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)



• SummonstoAttendOralProceedingsPursuanttoRule115(1)EPCo ThisisnoticefromtheEPOwiththeschedulingdetailsfortheOralProceedingsconcerningtheappeal.

o TheSummonsmayincludeapreliminary,non-bindingopinionoftheAppealBoard.• Howtodocket?

o ExampleDocketEntry:“OralProceedings”Ø DateandtimeforOralProceedingarelistedinthisdocument.

o ExampleDocketEntry:“WrittenSubmission/Documents– Due”Ø Iffurtherwrittensubmissionsarepermitted,thedeadlinewillbealsolistedinthisdocument.Ø Deadlineisusually1to2monthsbeforedateoftheOralProceeding.

• Extensionsavailable?o DateoftheoralproceedingisNOTextendable.

BoardofAppeal

• DecisionoftheTechnicalBoardofAppealo ThisisthewrittendecisionoftheoftheBoardofAppeal.o ThisdecisionisNOTappealable.

EnlargedBoardofAppeal

• PetitionforReviewbyEnlargedBoardofAppealo VerylimitedoptionavailableunderArticleEPC112a.o Petitionforreviewonthegroundsthattherewasaproceduraldefectintheconductoftheappealorthatacriminalactinrelationtotheappealoccurred.

• Howtodocket?o ExampleDocketEntry:“DeadlinetoFilePetition”

Ø Deadlinetofileis2monthsfromtheDecisionontheTechnicalBoardofAppeal.

PatentMaintainedinAmendedForm

• CommunicationPursuanttoRule82(2)EPCo Receivedwhentheappealdecisionmaintainsthepatentinamendedformortheoppositiondivisionmaintainsthepatentinamendedformandnoappealisfiled.

o EPOPublicationfeeandtranslationsoftheclaimsintoFRandDEaredue

• Howtodocket?o ExampleDocketEntry:“EPOPublicationFee/Translations– Due”

Ø Deadlineis3-monthsfromnotificationofthiscommunication.Ø 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)

CommunicationpursuanttoRule82(2)EPC(Excerpt)

PatentMaintainedinAmendedForm

• PatentOwnermustalsore-validatetheamendedpatentincountriesthatweredesignatedintheoriginalpatent iftheywantprotectioninthosecountries.• Howtodocket?

o Thedeadlineforrevalidatingis3monthsfromthedateofthere-publicationofthegrantedpatent

• Extensionsavailable?o NOTextendable.

PatentMaintainedinAmendedForm(Excerpt)

Questions

• QuestionsonToday’sProgramo PleasesubmittedyourquestionsusingtheQ&Abuttononthecontrolbaronyourscreen.

• IfyouhavequestionsregardingBlackHillsIP’sservicesorprocesses,pleasecontact:[email protected]

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Pleasejoinusforournextpresentation:BestPracticesforEfficientDocketingofRoutineFormalitiessuchasPowersofAttorneyandDeclarationsofInventors

May24,2017at1:00PMCentral

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