Judicial Administration Structure for IP Disputes: Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office, European Patent Organisation

Information provided by:
Legal Services of the Boards of Appeal

Presidium       President of the BoA
Carl Josefsson (SE)
     
           
                                                   
                                                   
  Enlarged Board
of Appeal
  Legal Board
of Appeal
  Technical Board
of Appeal
  Disciplinary Board
of Appeal
  Legal Services   Administrative Services
                                                   
                    Mechanics               Legal Research Service       Registry
                                       
                                                   
                    Chemistry                            
                                  Legal Advice Service       Administration and Business Processes
                                           
                    Physics                        
                                               
                                                   
                    Electricity                            
                                               
                                                   

 

Enlarged Board of Appeal (EBA)        
                         
      Referral         Referral       Review            
                  Final decision          
                                 
                                     
          Board of Appeal (BoA)   “Second”
Instance
   
                                 
                                     
                        Appeal            
                  Decision          
                                 
                                     
          Receiving Section
Examining Divisions
Opposition Divisions
Legal Division
       
EPO President     “First”
Instance
   
                                       

As the first and final judicial instance in the procedures before the European Patent Office, the Boards of Appeal provides an independent review of decisions taken by the Receiving Section, examining divisions, opposition divisions and the Legal Division of the European Patent Office. The Enlarged Board of Appeal provides answers to questions of law referred to it and is also competent to decide on petitions for review. The appeal procedure before the Boards of Appeal is governed by the European Patent Convention (EPC), Part VI, the Implementing Regulations of the EPC and by the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal.

Information on the Boards of Appeal, the appeals procedures and the Business Distribution Scheme is outlined in the annual supplementary publication to the Official Journal of the European Patent Office "Information from the Boards of Appeal".

Number of new and settled cases

New cases Settled cases
2020 2021 2022 2023 2020 2021 2022 2023  
Technical boards of appeal 2059 2245 2660 2049 3013 3395 3576 3358  
Enlarged Board of Appeal 14 17 27 19 6 15 9 17  
Legal Board of Appeal 29 15 8 7 26 11 17 11  
Disciplinary Board of Appeal 3 55 45 16 15 6 57 49  
Total 2105 2332 2740 2091 3060 3427 3659 3435