INFORMATION FROM THE EPO
Notice from the European Patent Office dated 31 August 2001 concerning amendment of the Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office
By decision of the President of the EPO dated 31 August 2001, the Guidelines for Examination1 have been amended pursuant to Article 10(2) EPC. The amendments are being published in an updated electronic text of the Guidelines on the EPO-website (http://www.european-patent-office.org (see the toolbox for applicants, legal texts)) and in the form of replacement sheets2 for the paper version.
The following two sections have been amended:
- C-IV, 2
- C-IV, 9.5.
The purpose of the amendments is to bring the Guidelines into line with EPO board of appeal case law concerning the patentability of business methods and computer-related inventions and with current EPO practice on examining such subject-matter. Made after consulting the Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO (SACEPO), they take into account in particular the following board of appeal decisions:
- T 769/92 of 31 May 1994 (OJ EPO 1995, 525);
- T 1173/97 of 1 July 1998 (OJ EPO 1999, 609);
- T 1194/97 of 15 March 2000 (OJ EPO 2000, 525);
- T 931/95 of 8 September 2000 (OJ EPO 2001, 441).
The opportunity has also been taken to remove some editorial and linguistic inconsistencies.
1 For last update, see OJ EPO 2001, 115.
2 For details of how to obtain the replacement sheets, see page 465 of this Official Journal.