ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL
Decisions of the Administrative Council
Decision of the Administrative Council of 13 December 2001 amending Rule 29(2) EPC
THE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN PATENT ORGANISATION,
Having regard to the European Patent Convention (EPC), and in particular Article 33(1)(b) thereof,
On a proposal from the President of the European Patent Office,
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee on Patent Law,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
Article 1
Rule 29(2) EPC shall be amended to read as follows:
"(2) Without prejudice to Article 82, a European patent application may contain more than one independent claim in the same category (product, process, apparatus or use) only if the subject-matter of the application involves one of the following:
(a) a plurality of inter-related products;
(b) different uses of a product or apparatus;
(c) alternative solutions to a particular problem, where it is not appropriate to cover these alternatives by a single claim."
Article 2
Rule 29(2) EPC as amended by this decision shall enter into force on 2 January 2002 and shall apply to all European patent applications in respect of which a communication under Rule 51(4) EPC has not yet been despatched by that date.
Done at Munich, 13 December 2001
For the Administrative Council
The Chairman
Roland GROSSENBACHER