Remittal in opposition appeals: the ‘ping-pong’ carries on

The European Patent Office’s (EPO) revised Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal (RPBA 2020) came into force on January 1, 2020. One of the revised rules covered “remittal”—the practice of a Board of Appeal sending the case back to the department of first instance (the Opposition Division for oppositions) to continue examination.