EPO Proceedings: a practical guide to success?

Proceedings Before the European Patent Office: a Practical Guide to Success in Opposition and Appeal, by Marcus O. Müller and Cees A.M. Mulder, is a neat little book and quite a departure from the usual Edward Elgar Publishing fare. While that publisher's list of IP titles has blossomed in recent years, it has been firmly and unashamedly directed towards the academic market. But here's something for the practitioner.

This blogger does not believe for a minute that there is any guarantee of success in EPO proceedings, given -- if nothing else -- the procedural inconsistencies that may be encountered. However, he does believe that, with common sense and good preparation. the chances of succeeding will be greatly enhanced. This little guide seems to him to do much to offer the intelligent reader a reasonable prospect of coming away from it with a far better understanding of how to tackle EPO proceedings, with neatly flagged pellets of practical advice and examples sprinkled throughout the text and with plenty of citations and even some statistics.

As the publisher says:

Experienced practitioners will find that the detailed case law citation adds depth to their knowledge. The practical advice and the illustrations from case law provide patent lawyers and patent attorneys with invaluable guidance on specific procedural and substantive questions, as well as on how to act properly in opposition and appeal proceedings. Proceedings Before the European Patent Office: A Practical Guide to Success in Opposition and Appeal is an indispensable tool in the armoury of all patent practitioners.

The first-named author is a member of the EPO Boards of Appeal, while the second is a practitioner. Between them they seem to have come up with an accessible and user-friendly package, a good deal more readable than much of the inevitably more formal material that can be found in Board of Appeal decisions and on the EPO website itself.  This blogger hopes that when, as will certainly happen, it is revised for future editions, it will be allowed to remain fresh and slender and will not suffer from the middle-age spread that comes from absorbing too many details.

Bibliographic data: paperback and online. xxii + 174 pages. ISBN:9781784710095, eISBN:9781784710101. Book's web page here.