LD Mannheim, July 16, 2025, Order concerning request for the extension of time periods

Extensions are granted only in justified exceptional circumstances to ensure efficient proceedings. The court considers whether the requested extension will jeopardize the preparation of the oral hearing (reason 2.c)).

In this case, the Defendants’ request for a three-week extension was granted due to new technical arguments raised by the Claimant involving third-party software and a security environment. The court found the Defendants’ need for additional time to consult with a third-party developer and a private expert plausible.

The Court expressly mentions that all other circumstances invoked by Defendants (holidays, unavailability of the private expert for one week due to a conference) are not decisive for an extension of a time period.

To allow parties to reconcile arguments on infringement and validity, extensions granted in one proceeding are often mirrored in the other, unless specific circumstances dictate otherwise (reason 2.e)).

The Defendants’ extension for the rejoinder in the infringement proceedings was also applied to their reply in the revocation proceedings to maintain consistency and allow for a coordinated defense strategy.