Article 62

1. Legal practitioners and professional representatives entered on the lists maintained by the Office pursuant to Article 78(1)(b) or (c) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 may file with the Office a signed authorisation for inclusion in the files.

Such authorisation shall be filed if the Office expressly requires it or, where there are several parties to the proceedings in which the representative acts before the Office, one of the parties expressly request it.

2. Employees acting on behalf of natural or legal persons pursuant to Article 77(3) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 shall file with the Office a signed authorisation for insertion in the files.

3. The authorisation may be filed in any of the official languages of the Community. It may cover one or more applications or registered Community designs or may be in the form of a general authorisation allowing the representative to act in respect of all proceedings before the Office to which the person who has issued it is a party.

4. Where, pursuant to paragraphs 1 or 2, an authorisation has to be filed, the Office shall specify a time limit within which such authorisation shall be filed. If the authorisation is not filed in due time, proceedings shall be continued with the represented person. Any procedural steps other than the filing of the application taken by the representative shall be deemed not to have been taken if the represented person does not approve them. The application of Article 77(2) of Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 shall remain unaffected.

5. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall apply mutatis mutandis to a document withdrawing an authorisation.

6. Any representative who has ceased to be authorised shall continue to be regarded as the representative until the termination of his/her authorisation has been communicated to the Office.

7. Subject to any provisions to the contrary contained therein, an authorisation shall not terminate vis-à-vis the Office upon the death of the person who gave it.

8. Where several representatives are appointed by the same party, they may, notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in their authorisations, act either collectively or individually.

9. The authorisation of an association of representatives shall be deemed to be an authorisation of any representative who can establish that he/she practises within that association.