BOARDS OF APPEAL
Decisions of the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal dated 9 December 2010 G 1/081
(Language of the proceedings)
COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD:
Chairman:
P. Messerli
Members:
B. Günzel, R. Freimuth, L. Galligani, K. Härmand, K. Klett, S. Perryman
Appellant I/Patent proprietor: State of Israel - Ministry of Agriculture
Appellant II/Opponent: Unilever N.V.
Headword: Tomatoes/STATE OF ISRAEL
Relevant legal provisions:
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
Art. 31(1), 32
Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
Art. 4G
Convention on the Unification of Certain Points of Substantive
Law on Patents for Invention (Strasbourg Patent Convention)
Art. 2b
International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention)
European Union
Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions
Art. 2(2), 7, recitals 17, 33
Transitional provisions:
Decision of the Administrative Council of 28 June 2001 on the transitional provisions under Article 7 of the Act revising the EPC
Art. 1(1)
Decision of the Administrative Council of 7 December 2006 amending the Implementing Regulations to the European Patent Convention 2000
Art. 2
Notice dated 1 July 1999 concerning the amendment of the Implementing Regulations to the European Patent Convention, point 19, explanatory notes to Rule 23b(5)
EPC
Art. 52, 52(1), (2), (3), 53, 53(b), 83, 164(2)
R. 26 (1), (2), (3), (5), 27(c)
EPC 1973
Art. 33(1)(b), 52, 52(4), 53(b), 76, 83, 164(2)
R. 23c(c), 23b(1), (5), 25(1), 28
1 The keyword, summary of facts and submissions and reasons for the decision are identical in their wording to the corresponding section of decision G 2/07, OJ EPO 2012, 130 (in this issue). The proceedings are consolidated. Therefore only this abridged version of the decision is being published. A copy of the full text in the language of proceedings may be obtained from the EPO Information Office in Munich on payment of a photocopying fee of EUR 0.70 per page.