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Chapter I – Common provisions governing procedure

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  1. Home
  2. The European Patent Convention – Contents
  3. European Patent Convention
  4. Part VII
  5. Chapter I
  6. Article 116
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Article 116 – Oral proceedings

Article 113 – Right to be heard and basis of decisions
Article 114 – Examination by the European Patent Office of its own motion
Article 115 – Observations by third parties
Article 116 – Oral proceedings
Article 117 – Means and taking of evidence
Article 118 – Unity of the European patent application or European patent
Article 119 – Notification
Article 120 – Time limits
Article 121 – Further processing of the European patent application
Article 122 – Re-establishment of rights
Article 123 – Amendments
Article 124 – Information on prior art
Article 125 – Reference to general principles
Article 126 – (deleted)

Article 116133, 134
Oral proceedings

Part VII – Common provisions
Chapter I – Common provisions governing procedure

(1) Oral proceedings shall take place either at the instance of the European Patent Office if it considers this to be expedient or at the request of any party to the proceedings. However, the European Patent Office may reject a request for further oral proceedings before the same department where the parties and the subject of the proceedings are the same. 

(2) Nevertheless, oral proceedings shall take place before the Receiving Section at the request of the applicant only where the Receiving Section considers this to be expedient or where it intends to refuse the European patent application. 

(3) Oral proceedings before the Receiving Section, the Examining Divisions and the Legal Division shall not be public. 

(4) Oral proceedings, including delivery of the decision, shall be public, as regards the Boards of Appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal, after publication of the European patent application, and also before the Opposition Divisions, in so far as the department before which the proceedings are taking place does not decide otherwise in cases where admission of the public could have serious and unjustified disadvantages, in particular for a party to the proceedings. 


133See decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 2/94, G 4/95 (Annex I).

134See decision of the President of the EPO and notice from the EPO of 01.04.202017.12.2020 concerning oral proceedings by videoconference before examining divisions (OJ EPO 2020, A39, A40 and A72OJ EPO 2020, A134 and OJ EPO 2020, A135).
See decision of the President of the EPO and notice from the EPO of 14.04.202010.11.2020 concerning the modification and extension of the pilot project for oral proceedings by videoconference before opposition divisions (OJ EPO 2020, A41, A42 and A72OJ EPO 2020, A121, A122 and OJ EPO 2020, A135), decision of the President of the EPO of 14.05.2021 (OJ EPO 2021, A41) and decision of the President of the EPO of 23.11.2021 (OJ EPO 2021, A93).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 09.06.2021 concerning oral proceedings by videoconference before the Receiving Section (OJ EPO 2021, A49).
See decision of the President of the EPO of 09.06.2021 concerning oral proceedings by videoconference before the Legal Division (OJ EPO 2021, A50).
See notices of the Vice-President DG 3 (Special edition No. 3 OJ EPO 2007, H.1, H.2 and H.3; OJ EPO 2014, A21).

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