In press release dated 15 December 2020, the Boards of Appeal inform that they have reassessed some of their measures for the arrangement and conduct of oral proceedings. In particular, the practice on conducting oral proceedings using videoconferencing (VICO) technology has been revised: from 1 January 2021 Boards may conduct oral proceedings by VICO even without the agreement of the parties concerned, as has now been made clear in the new Article 15a RPBA adopted by the Boards of Appeal Committee, which enter into force on 1 April 2021. Since the new provision merely clarifies an existing possibility, Boards may adapt their practice as regards dispensing with the need to obtain the agreement of the parties concerned even before the date of its entry into force of Article 15a RPBA.

In a press release dated 10 November 2020, the European Patent Office announced (i) that the postponement of in-person opposition hearings (currently until 31 December 2020) is further extended to 15 September 2021 and (ii) that the consent of all parties for holding an opposition by VICO will no longer be necessary with effect from 4 January 2021, until 15 September 2021.

This measure is intended (according to the EPO) to »clear the substantial backlog of opposition hearings that built up over the last six months with a resulting loss in timeliness which is critical for access to justice«. The decision of the President of the EPO in this respect and a Notice from the EPO, both to be published in the OJ, can be found here and here.