Selected decisions
The list of “Selected decisions” alerts users to all newly published decisions for which a headnote or a catchword has been provided by the board. Usually, a board will add a headnote or catchword if it wishes to provide a brief summary of a particular point of law or to draw attention to an important part of the reasons for the decision. The list contains all decisions with a headnote or catchword published in the last three years and can be viewed by year by selecting the year from the menu on the left.
The list below contains all decisions with a headnote or catchword that have been released for publication in the last six months (newest first).
August 2025
Neuheit - (ja)
Ausreichende Offenbarung - Ausführbarkeit (ja)
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - (ja)
Spät eingereichtes Dokument - zugelassen (nein)
Spät eingereichtes Dokument - Rechtfertigung für späte Vorlage (nein)
July 2025
If there is no technical effect that is credibly derivable from the wording of a claim on the basis of its distinguishing features, it is usually unnecessary to - artificially - formulate an (unsolved) objective technical problem, such as finding an "alternative way to achieve a (non-existent) technical effect".
In such cases, the distinguishing features simply constitute arbitrary or non-functional modifications of the available prior art which cannot involve an inventive step within the meaning of Article 56 EPC (see points 2.7 and 3.3.3 of the Reasons).
Claim construction - description and drawings "consulted" and "referred to" for defining the skilled reader of a claim
Inventive step - main and auxiliary requests (no): no credible technical effect over the whole scope claimed; concept of "substantially over the whole scope claimed" not followed; distinguishing features relate to arbitrary and non-functional modifications; reference made to UPC_CFI_1/2023, Central Division Munich
Remittal - (no): no "special reasons"
Referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal - (no): questions on the problem-solution approach and the general applicability of G 1/19 and G 2/21 can be answered on the basis of the EPC and the existing jurisprudence
The following questions are referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal for decision.
1. If the claims of a European patent are amended during opposition proceedings or opposition-appeal proceedings, and the amendment introduces an inconsistency between the amended claims and the description of the patent, is it necessary, to comply with the requirements of the EPC, to adapt the description to the amended claims so as to remove the inconsistency?
2. If the first question is answered in the affirmative, which requirement(s) of the EPC necessitate(s) such an adaptation?
3. Would the answer to questions 1 and 2 be different if the claims of a European patent application are amended during examination proceedings or examination-appeal proceedings, and the amendment introduces an inconsistency between the amended claims and the description of the patent application?
Amendments - added subject-matter
Novelty
Inventive step
Sufficiency of disclosure
Late-filed request
Amendment to appeal case
Claims - adaptation of the description
Referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal
The fact that a granted product-by-process claim defines a product which could be satisfactorily defined by reference to its composition, structure or other testable parameter is not, as such, a ground for opposition set out in Article 100 EPC. Thus, an objection cannot be raised on this sole ground against that granted claim (reasons 4.35 to 4.38).
When assessing inventive step, the fact that the cut-off values of a range defining a claimed parameter exclude some lower or higher values suitable to achieve a relevant technical effect is not, as such, a reason to consider the selection of those cut-off values "arbitrary" and the claimed subject-matter obvious over the prior art. What counts is that the effect obtained operating within the claimed range goes beyond that achieved following the teaching of the prior art (reasons 5.12 to 5.25).
Auxiliary request 1: added subject-matter - (no); sufficiency of disclosure, novelty and inventive step - (yes)
Admission of new submissions filed with the statement setting out the grounds of appeal - (no)
Admission of submissions filed after issuance of the board's communication under Article 15(1) RPBA: - (no)
I. A product put on the market before the date of filing of a European patent application cannot be excluded from the state of the art within the meaning of Article 54(2) EPC for the sole reason that its composition or internal structure could not be analysed and reproduced by the skilled person before that date.
II. Technical information about such a product which was made available to the public before the filing date forms part of the state of the art within the meaning of Article 54(2) EPC, irrespective of whether the skilled person could analyse and reproduce the product and its composition or internal structure before that date.
Admissibility of referral (yes)
Product put on the market - requirement of reproducibility for prior art status under Article 54(2) and 56 EPC (no)
Not reproducible properties taken into account for novelty and inventive step (yes)
June 2025
Umfang des Beitritts (Gründe 1.5.7)
Anpassung der Beschreibung (insbesondere Gründe 6.5.5)
Beitritt des vermeintlichen Patentverletzers - Zeitpunkt des Beitritts nach Beschwerdekammerentscheidung mit Zurückverweisung zur Anpassung der Beschreibung
Rechtskraftbindung - res judicata (ja)
Vorlage an die Große Beschwerdekammer - Rechtsfrage von grundsätzlicher Bedeutung
Vorlage an die Große Beschwerdekammer - (nein)
Patentansprüche - mangelnde Klarheit kein Einspruchsgrund
Patentansprüche - Stützung durch die Beschreibung (ja)
Änderungen in Beschreibung
Änderungen - zulässig (ja)
Änderungen - Erweiterung über den Inhalt der Anmeldung in der eingereichten Fassung hinaus (nein)
Änderungen - unzulässige Erweiterung (nein)
Änderung veranlasst durch Einspruchsgrund - (ja)
Der Orientierungssatz von R 10/20 wird bestätigt und wie folgt ergänzt:
[Teilweise Wiederholung dieses Orientierungssatzes:]
Es wird vermutet, dass eine Kammer das Vorbringen eines Beteiligten in der Sache berücksichtigt hat, welches sie in den Entscheidungsgründen nicht behandelt hat. Denn dann ist anzunehmen, dass es aus ihrer Sicht nicht relevant war. Diese Vermutung kann widerlegt sein, wenn Anzeichen für eine Nicht- Berücksichtigung vorliegen, z.B. wenn eine Kammer in den Entscheidungsgründen das Vorbringen eines Beteiligten nicht behandelt, welches objektiv betrachtet entscheidend für den Ausgang des Falles ist, oder derartiges Vorbringen von der Hand weist, ohne es zuvor auf seine Richtigkeit zu überprüfen.
Der Charakter eines Vorbringens als objektiv betrachtet entscheidend für den Ausgang des Falles muss sich aufdrängen. Das folgt daraus, dass das Überprüfungsverfahren nach Artikel 112a EPÜ grundsätzlich nicht der Überprüfung des materiellen Rechts dient, weswegen Ausnahmen von diesem Grundsatz nur unter strengen Voraussetzungen zuzulassen sind.]
[Ergänzung:]
Daraus folgt auch, dass die Person, der sich das Vorbringen als objektiv entscheidend aufdrängen muss, der Durchschnittsleser und nicht der Fachmann ist (Entscheidungsgründe, Nr. II.2.2.2e).
Videokonferenz grundsätzlich mit Recht auf rechtliches Gehör vereinbar (ja, wie in G 1/21 und R 12/22)
Verletzung des rechtlichen Gehörs durch geltend gemachte Begründungsmängel (nein)
referral is admissible (yes)
diverging lines of case law (yes)
The description and any drawings are always referred to when interpreting the claims (yes)
Inventive step - (yes)
Inventive step - non-obvious solution
Amendment after summons - exceptional circumstances (yes)