European Patent Office (EPO) - Black Hills IP · ØDate and time for Oral Proceeding are listed in...
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Transcript of European Patent Office (EPO) - Black Hills IP · ØDate and time for Oral Proceeding are listed in...
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)
OppositionDivisionProceedings
• 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)
OppositionDivisionProceedings
• TheOppositionDivisionsendsacommunicationtotheOpponenttoenabletheOpponenttocommentontheobservationsandamendmentsfilebythePatentOwner• Howtodocket?
o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”ifOpponento Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)
• ExtensionsAvailable?o 2-monthextensionmayberequested
OppositionDivisionProceedings
• 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)
BoardofAppealProceedings
• TheBoardofAppealsendacommunicationtothenonappealingpartytoenablethenonappealingpartytocommentonthegroundsofappeal• Howtodocket?
o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”o Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)
• ExtensionsAvailable?o 2-monthextensionmayberequested
BoardofAppealProceedings
• TheBoardofAppealsendacommunicationtotheAppellanttoenabletheAppellanttocommentontheobservationsandamendmentsfilebythenonappealingparty• Howtodocket?
o ExampleDocketEntry:“Observations– Due”o Deadlineis4monthsfromthenotificationofthecommunicationo 10-dayruleapplies(becauseitisfromthe“notification”ofthecommunication)
• ExtensionsAvailable?o 2-monthextensionmayberequested
BoardofAppealProceedings
• 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)
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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