| appeals | ||
| applications for nullity |
The Austrian Patent Office is also responsible for dispute proceedings relating granting and maintaining of protection rights as well as for legal recourse against the decisions of the technical divisions and the legal departments. At the Patent Office, these matters are dealt with by the Appeal and Nullity Departments. Taking all types of protective rights into consideration, in 2008 80 appeals and 177 applications for nullity were brought against decisions by the Patent Office. It is possible to appeal against the decisions by the Appeal and Nullity Departments before the Patent and Trademark High Court of Appeal (the "Oberste Patent- und Markensenat"), and in 2008 a total of 33 appeals were brought before this court.