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Requirement for reimbursement of appeal fees

According to the wording of R 103 (4) lit c EPC it is not a requirement for reimbursement of appeal fees that any request for oral proceedings is withdrawn within one month of notification of the communication issued by the Board of Appeal in preparation for the oral proceedings. It is rather sufficient that one request for oral proceedings is withdrawn in due time for the requirement for a pro rata refund of the appeal fee to be fulfilled, provided that no oral proceedings take place (EPO Board of Appeal 9/10/2020, T 1610/15).