- with readers working within the Pharmaceuticals & BioTech industries
The EPO has announced that AI will be used to prepare the minutes of oral proceedings for all examination and opposition oral proceedings (as well as those taking place before the receiving section and legal division). The announcement follows the completion of a pilot for a selection of examination and opposition oral proceedings held in 2025.
As with the pilot, the responsibility for the content of the minutes will remain entirely with the division involved. In brief, the oral proceedings will be recorded, and a transcript of the recording will be generated using AI. The transcript will then be processed by the division using another AI tool to produce the minutes. Once the minutes are issued to the parties, the original recording and transcript will be deleted.
It will be interesting to see whether AI improves the quality of the minutes and enables them to be dispatched more quickly.
J A Kemp LLP acts for clients in the USA, Europe and globally, advising on UK and European patent practice and representing them before the European Patent Office, UKIPO and Unified Patent Court. We have in-depth expertise in a wide range of technologies, including Biotech and Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals, Software and IT, Chemistry, Electronics and Engineering and many others. See our website to find out more.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
