Videoconference at EPA

posted on May 18, 2020

The Corona crisis has helped an already known communication tool skyrocket in an unforeseen manner – the videoconference. It is a type of meeting which at least alleviates the lack of personal contact. This chan-nel was quickly relied on for communicating with colleagues, clients, partners and suppliers – also at the European Patent Office in Munich. The EPO has enabled regular operation without physical presence under the unwieldy name "pilot project for oral proceedings by videoconference before opposition divisions”.

April 21, 2020 was the premiere date for the first opposition proceedings in the modern mode. In these proceedings, Anwälte Burger und Partner represented the client Kurt Mühlböck in the matter relating to the patent EP3111148B2. After the proceedings, Patent Attorney Mag. Andreas Rossoll – who has been work-ing for ABP as a cooperating partner in Vienna since 2009 and has been qualified to practice as a profes-sional representative before the EPO since 2004 – said: "The discussion and the course of events were in no way inferior to what we were used to before. The technical quality and in particular the data transmission should be referred to as perfect.” With respect to the subject matter of the proceedings, ABP was able to achieve a rejection of the adversary’s opposition. Thus, for the client and for ABP the proceedings were successful in all facets.

ABP has always been a pioneer in the field of digital integration in the working environment of Intellectual Property. To be a part of the first complete videoconference at the EPO was a great honor, but also a logical consequence of this development.