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Overview
FOREWORD by the President of the Boards of Appeal
1
BOARD OF APPEAL AND ENLARGED BOARD OF APPEAL CASE LAW 2018 AND 2019
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I. PATENTABILITY
A. Exceptions to patentability
1. Patentability of biological inventions
2. Product claims for plants or plant material
4
3. Medical methods
6
3.1 "Treatment by surgery" in the case law since G 1/07
3.2 Apparatus claim – disguised method claim?
7
B. Novelty
9
1. Common general knowledge
1.1 Specialist journals as common general knowledge
2. Availability to the public
2.1 Public prior use – internal structure or composition of a product
2.2 The concept of "the public" – public library
11
2.3 Public availability of documents submitted for standardisation
3. Determining the content of the relevant prior art
13
3.1 Taking implicit features into account
4. Ascertaining differences
4.1 Functional features
5. Chemical inventions and selection inventions
14
5.1 Achieving a higher degree of purity
6. First and second medical use – new therapeutic application based on the group of subjects to be treated
15
7. Second (or further) non-medical method – novelty criteria for product claims with purpose characteristics
16
C. Inventive step
1. Problem and solution approach
2. Determination of closest prior art in general
17
3. Assessment of inventive step
3.1 Treatment of technical and non-technical features
3.2 Problem and solution approach when applied to "mixed" inventions
20
3.3 Mental activities based on data visualisation
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3.4 Examples of lack of inventive step – selection from obvious alternatives
22
II. PATENT APPLICATION AND AMENDMENTS
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A. Claims
1. Interpretation of ambiguous terms or confirmation of the text of a claim
B. Unity of invention
1. Assessment of lack of unity and of requests for refund of further search fees in examination proceedings
C. Sufficiency of disclosure
24
1. Clarity and completeness of disclosure
1.1 Parameters
2. Reproducibility without undue burden
27
2.1 Occasional failure
3. The requirement of sufficiency of disclosure in the biotechnology field
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3.1 Deposit of living material
4. The relationship between Article 83 and Article 84 EPC
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4.1 Article 83 EPC and clarity of claims
5. Evidence
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D. Priority
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1. Right of priority of the applicant
2. First application in respect of the invention
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2.1 Identity of invention
3. Multiple priorities or partial priority for one claim
34
3.1 Application of G 1/15 in the jurisprudence of the boards
E. Amendments
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1. Extension beyond the content of the application as filed – "US-style" dependencies
2. Disclaimers
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2.1 Accidental anticipation
2.2 Undisclosed disclaimer must not be related to the teaching of the invention
3. Extension of the protection conferred
39
3.1 Article 123(3) EPC and Article 69 EPC
3.2 Replacement of drawings
40
3.3 Change of claim category
41
F. Divisional applications
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1. Request to postpone decision concerning the earlier European patent application
2. Double patenting
43
2.1 Referral decision
2.2 Same subject-matter claimed
III. RULES COMMON TO ALL PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE EPO
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A. The principle of the protection of legitimate expectations
1. Knowledge of the relevant legal provisions and the case law
2. Obligation to draw attention to easily remediable deficiencies
B. Right to be heard
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1. Decision must demonstrably show that arguments were heard and considered
2. No obligation to address each and every argument
47
3. The requirement of a text agreed by the applicant
C. Oral proceedings
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1. Right to oral proceedings in examination, opposition and appeal proceedings
2. Preparation of oral proceedings – fixing or changing the date for oral proceedings
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D. Time limits, date of receipt, further processing and interruption of proceedings
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1. Date of receipt of documents transmitted by fax
2. Interruption of proceedings because of insolvency (Rule 142(1)(b) EPC)
52
E. Re-establishment of rights
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1. Date the error ought to have been noticed is decisive
F. Languages
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1. Derogations from the language of the proceedings in oral proceedings
G. Formal aspects of decisions of EPO departments
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1. Form of decisions
1.1 Signatures on a decision under Rule 113 EPC
1.2 Deficient reasoning insufficient for the purposes of Rule 111(2) EPC
H. Inspection of files, European Patent Register and stay of proceedings
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1. Stay of proceedings under Rule 14(1) EPC
2. Rule 14(3) EPC
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I. Intervention
1. Admissibility
1.1 National infringement proceedings
J. Apportionment of costs
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K. Notifications
61
1. Notification by postal services
IV. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE DEPARTMENTS OF FIRST INSTANCE
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A. Examination procedure
1. Decisions with no text submitted or agreed by the applicant (Article 113(2) EPC)
2. Amendments and corrections requested according to Rule 71(6) EPC
64
3. Additional search necessary: limited discretion of the examining division
B. Opposition procedure
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1. Filing and admissibility requirements – sufficient substantiation of grounds for opposition
2. Late submission
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2.1 Concept of "in due time"
2.2 Exercise of discretion – prima facie relevance
69
2.3 New argument versus new chain of reasoning
3. Amendments in opposition proceedings
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3.1 Time frame for filing amendments – discretion of the opposition division
3.2 Scope of examination of amendment
72
V. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE BOARDS OF APPEAL
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A. Appeal procedure
1. Filing and admissibility of the appeal
1.1 Party adversely affected (Article 107 EPC)
1.2 Appeal filed within the time limit – correction of error
1.3 Statement of grounds of appeal
74
1.3.1 Content of the statement of grounds of appeal
1.3.2 References to submissions made at first instance
75
2. Facts under examination – applying Article 114 EPC in appeal proceedings
76
2.1 Fresh ground for opposition on appeal
2.2 The board need not examine facts of its own motion
77
3. Review of first-instance discretionary decisions
78
3.1 Submissions admitted at first instance – part of the appeal proceedings
4. New submissions on appeal
4.1 Amendments after arrangement of the oral proceedings
4.2 Communication of a board of appeal
79
4.3 Late submission of new arguments, objections and lines of attack in appeal proceedings
80
4.4 Article 12(4) RPBA 2007
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4.4.1 Broadening of claims considered by the opposition division
4.4.2 Resubmission of requests withdrawn at opposition stage
84
4.5 Converging or diverging versions of claims
86
5. Reimbursement of appeal fees
87
5.1 Appeal deemed not to have been filed or inadmissible appeal
5.2 Violation must be of a procedural nature
89
5.3 Error of judgement by a department of first instance
90
5.4 Excessive length of proceedings
5.5 Violation of the principle of the protection of legitimate expectations
92
5.6 Withdrawal of appeal under Rule 103(2) EPC
93
B. Proceedings before the Enlarged Board of Appeal
1. Article 112a(1) EPC – adversely affected party entitled to file a petition for review
2. Time limit for filing a petition for review
94
3. No opportunity to comment, surprising reasons
95
4. Article 112a(2)(a) EPC – alleged breach of Article 24 EPC
5. Article 112a(2)(c) EPC – alleged fundamental violation of Article 113 EPC
96
6. No right to a further hearing at first instance
97
7. Successful petitions under Article 112a(2)(c) EPC
98
ANNEXES
ANNEX 1
99
Decisions discussed in the Case Law Report 2018/2019
ANNEX 2
110
Cited decisions
ANNEX 3
116
Headnotes/catchwords to 2019 decisions which have been (or will be) published