Opposition Matters 2025

Thursday, 18 September 2025

• Thursday, 18 September 2025

  • Select activity PROGRAMME

    Programme

    13.00-13.10   Welcome and introduction

    Steve Rowan, EPO Vice-President, Patent Granting Process
    Julia Gwilt, Patent Attorney, epi

    13.10-13.55   Oral proceedings over several days. Their usefulness and how the opposition division decides in advance

    Oral Proceedings run up to one day as a general rule. However, there are cases which necessitate longer processing time to achieve a successful conclusion. How the division decides and why are explained here. It is complemented by a viewpoint from the patent attorney angle.

    Lead: epi

    Régis Quélavoine, Director Opposition, EPO
    Ben Husband, Patent Attorney, epi

    Oral Proceedings over several days

     

    13.55-14.40   Opposition proceedings and UPC

    The session will focus on the impact of/and interplay between the opposition proceedings before the EPO and revocation/infringement proceedings before the UPC, in particular acceleration of the opposition proceedings and stay of the revocation proceedings in the case of parallel proceedings pending. Presentation by patent attorney followed by a round table.

    Lead: epi

    Katarzyna Walert, Lawyer, EPO
    Nathaniel Taylor, Patent Attorney, epi
    Tobias Pichlmaier, Judge, UPC

    Opposition proceedings and UPC

           
           14.40-15.55   Break

    15.55-16.40   Artificial Intelligence in opposition proceedings, pilot for minutes

    This session provides a state-of-the-art comparison of one of the hottest topics in IP. The guidelines on Artificial Intelligence will be looked at through the different lenses of the EPO and the epi. There will also be an update on the pilot project on minute taking via Artificial Intelligence in Oral Proceedings.

    Lead: EPO

    Régis Quélavoine, Director, Opposition, EPO
    Timothey Powell, Patent Attorney, epi

    Artificial Intelligence in Opposition proceedings