Artists Exhibition
Online release in October 2021
Registration is now open!
(Deadline: 13 September 2021)
All creative epi members and epi Students are warmly invited to participate after login by submitting the following
epi publishes a quarterly journal to inform the members of epi's current activities.
Deadline for epi Information 3|2021: 16 August 2021
brochure for all new Council Members is available after login.
Further information and a detailed guide can be found here. New channel for epi members to share tips, tricks, suggestions on the use of the forum.
Welcome
The Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi) came into existence pursuant to the European Patent Convention (EPC).
July 16, 2021
The Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA) has today released its order in case G1/21 establishing that “During a general emergency impairing the parties' possibilities to attend in-person oral proceedings at the EPO premises, the conduct of oral proceedings before the boards of appeal in the form of a videoconference is compatible with the EPC even if not all of the parties to the proceedings have given their consent to the conduct of oral proceedings in the form of a videoconference”.
July 09, 2021
German Constitutional Court Rejects Preliminary Injunctions in UPC Case
As published today, in a long-awaited order issued on 23 June 2021, the German Federal Constitutional Court (“Bundesverfassungsgericht”) rejected two applications for a preliminary injunction filed together with the constitutional complaints against the German ratification law for the UPC Agreement.
the Boards of Appeal
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.
epi meetings in view of the Covid-19 situation
(Update 23 July 2021)
Since the outbreak of coronavirus epi has taken measures to ensure the health of our staff and our members and in the same time to continue to fulfil the support for the Presidium, Board, Council and epi Committees and all our epi members.
In view of the present situation but the uncertainty as to the future development, the Presidium advises all committees to continue planning virtual meetings until the end of the year.
However, under certain circumstances physical meetings of small size up to 10 persons for epi bodies will be possible in the Secretariat in Munich, as far as the sanitary situation and the travel conditions allow it.
Please note that in such an event the meeting within the Secretariat will take place to the extent allowed under the rules applicable in Munich.
We are continuously monitoring the situation and will provide updates as necessary.