On the 18th September Haseltine Lake Kempner hosted our first masterclass in Basel, Switzerland. Next to the Rhine, and with unseasonably hot weather, we hosted 42 attendees who came to hear talks on many aspects of IP oppositions practice.

The title of the seminar was "One Step Ahead- Your guide for keeping up with the ever-changing IP landscape". Eight attorneys from HLK attended; Joe Lenthall, Isobel Finnie, David Brown, Robert Margue, Richard Kempner and Brian Whitehead all spoke at the seminar, and Nicole Ockl and Magnus Johnston also attended. Former Chairman of the Board of Appeal, Christopher Rennie- Smith was our guest speaker.

The seminar began with an EPO case law update which was given by Isobel Finnie and Robert Margue and covered topics including the admission of Auxiliary Requests into the opposition appeal proceedings, insufficiency and the possible "unusual parameter" practice coming to Oppositions and Opposition Appeals.

Isobel Finnie presenting on EPO case law updates.

Next the delegates were split into five groups, each with a HLK chair, for a roundtable discussion on the "Challenges faced during opposition proceedings". After this session the main points discussed were shared with the room, providing important learning opportunities for all.

Brian Whitehead (left) and Richard Kempner (right) presented a talk on IP litigation.

After a short break in the sun, and time to grab a coffee and pastry, we began the second half of the seminar with a talk on "Strategic opportunities and pitfalls in the interplay of Oppositions with UK litigation" from Richard Kempner and Brian Whitehead, two of our patent litigation experts. They provided an overview of stays of proceedings, what happens to remedies/costs if patent is subsequently revoked/amended by the EPO and inconsistent evidence in EPO and national courts.

The final session of the day was a panel discussion on the new Rules of Procedure of the Board of Appeal hosted by Joe Lenthall and with Christopher Rennie-Smith and David Brown. As someone who helped to draft the current Rules of Procedure Christopher has a great insight into this topic and was able to provide thoughtful and interesting information on the subject.

From left to right: Robert Margue, David Brown, Christopher Rennie-Smith, Isobel Finnie, Joseph Lenthall, Nicole Ockl and Magnus Johnstone.

Thank you to everyone who attended our seminar and we hope to see you at more HLK events in the future.

If you are interested in attending future HLK masterclasses then sign up to receive invites here.