11.1. Introduction

According to R. 103(1)(a) EPC (R. 67 EPC 1973) the reimbursement of appeal fees is ordered in the event of interlocutory revision or where the board of appeal deems an appeal allowable, if such reimbursement is equitable by reason of a substantial procedural violation.

R. 103(1)(b) EPC, introduced with the EPC 2000, goes some way towards compensating for the lack of a cross-appeal facility. Appeals filed as a precaution – in case the other party appeals – can be withdrawn if the other party does not file an appeal, at an early stage of the proceedings, during the period between the expiry of the respective periods for filing the notice of appeal and filing the statement of grounds of appeal, i.e. before any great expense or effort on the part of the parties or the EPO (see notes to R. 67 EPC 1973, OJ SE 1/2003, 184).

R. 103(2) EPC, introduced by decision of the Administrative Council of 13 December 2013 (CA/D 16/13; OJ 2014, A3), provided for a reimbursement of the appeal fee at 50% if the appeal was withdrawn after expiry of the period under R. 103(1)(b) EPC provided the requirements set out under R. 103(2)(a) EPC and R. 103(2)(b) EPC were met. This provision was amended by the decision of the Administrative Council of 12 December 2019 (CA/D 14/19; OJ EPO 2020, A5), which entered into force on 1 April 2020. Following these amendments, the appeal fee may be reimbursed at 75% (R. 103(2) EPC), 50% (R. 103(3) EPC), or 25% (R. 103(4) EPC) if the appeal is withdrawn (or a request for oral proceedings is withdrawn in the case of R. 103(4)(c) EPC) and the requirements set out in the respective provisions are met (see in this chapter V.A.11.9. and following).

R. 103(6) EPC (formerly R. 103(2) EPC; then R. 103(3) EPC until the latest revision of 1 April 2020) governs the competence of the department of first instance and of the board of appeal in the matter of the reimbursement of the appeal fee and codifies the case law of the Legal Board of Appeal (J 32/95, OJ 1999, 733; G 3/03, OJ 2005, 344; see in this chapter V.A.11.4.2. "Competence to decide on reimbursement").

For the rules formally applicable to patent applications pending on the date of entry into force of the EPC 2000, see J 10/07 (OJ 2008, 567); for the applicability of R. 103(1)(b) EPC see T 2052/08.