Sweden: Are online oral proceedings here to stay?

Back in February 2021, the Swedish Association of Patent Attorneys (SPOF), representing private practice patent, trademark and design attorneys in Sweden, arranged a seminar with the Swedish Intellectual Property Office (PRV) on the topic “Oral proceedings online”. It was clear that if both parties agreed, oral proceedings could be held online. However, a question from the audience remained unanswered: What happens if one party wants to be online, and the other attends physically? How to ensure that both parties receive an equal assessment in the dispute?