16 December 2016
The Administrative Council (AC) of the European Patent Organisation yesterday appointed Carl Josefsson (Sweden) as the first President of the Boards of Appeal (BoA). A new location for the BoA was also approved by the Member States. Both measures are being taken as an important part of the institutional reforms adopted in June 2016 to strengthen the managerial autonomy, the perception of independence, and the efficiency of the EPO’s appeal system.
EPO President Benoît Battistelli said: “Mr Josefsson’s appointment and the relocation to Haar are crucial steps for delivering a more independent and effective judicial body. Once implemented, the measures will benefit any users who might need access to efficient judicial review and will therefore be of value to the entire European patent system.”
Carl Josefsson currently serves as Senior Judge of Appeal at the Svea Court of Appeal in Stockholm and was jointly proposed by the President of the EPO and the AC`s Board of Appeals Committee. He will take up this new role with effect from 1 March 2017. The post of President of the Boards of Appeal is an entirely new position. The appointment is for a period of five years and the incumbent may be reappointed.
As the administrative and judicial head of the Boards of Appeal Unit and vested with delegated powers from the President of the EPO, the President of the Boards of Appeal will be responsible for enhancing the independence and the efficiency of the BoA Unit. He is answerable directly to the Administrative Council with whom he will closely co-operate through the Board of Appeals Committee, a newly created subcommittee of the Council.
In addition to the appointment of the BoA President, the Administrative Council approved the choice of Haar, Munich, as the new location for the Boards of Appeal Unit. The move to Haar’s 8inOne building is scheduled for summer 2017 and will involve over 200 staff of the Boards who currently work in the Isar building of the EPO.
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