Further to the EPO notice on acceleration of Opposition proceedings, they have now confirmed timelines for the various stages:
- Opposition reply will be due within three months (instead of the usual four months)
- Summons to Oral Proceedings will be issued within two months of receipt of the Patentee’s reply
- if the Patentee has already replied, the Summons to Oral Proceedings will be issued within two months of receipt of the information on parallel proceedings
- if the Summons to Oral Proceedings had already been issued, Oral proceedings are rescheduled to the earliest possible date (provided that the time saving is significant)
- the written decision and minutes will be issued within one month of the Oral Proceedings announcing the decision
These acceleration measures apply with immediate effect and also to pending proceedings.
The EPO press release confirming the timelines can be found here
