If the Office considers that oral proceedings would be expedient they shall be held either at
the instance of the Office or at the request of any party to the proceedings.
Oral proceedings before the examiners, the Opposition Division and the Department in
charge of the Register shall not be public.
Oral proceedings, including delivery of the decision, shall be public before the
Cancellation Division and the Boards of Appeal, in so far as the department before which
the proceedings are taking place does not decide otherwise in cases where admission of the
public could have serious and unjustified disadvantages, in particular for a party to the
proceedings.
The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 208
specifying the detailed arrangements for oral proceedings, including the detailed
arrangements for the use of languages in accordance with Article 146.