IP Insights: VICO With The EPO (Podcast)

Like it or not, participation in oral proceedings with the EPO has been primarily limited to video conferencing or so-called "VICOs". The legality of this has already been discussed at great length, for instance, in our own feedback to the EPO as published on our website. However, in the meantime, this is the "new normal" that applicants, patent attorneys, and examiners are faced with.

I am here with my colleague Preston Richard, and we would like to share some of our own experiences of VICOs with you.

Preston, are there any exceptions to VICO?

In principle, it is possible to request an in-person oral proceeding, which currently will result in a postponement. But the chances that such a request is allowed are generally low since the party making such a request should provide a compelling reason supporting their request, such as physical impediment to attending a Video proceeding, or a need for demonstrating haptic features, etc. The technical complexity or