Recently published decisions 2022
All board of appeal decisions released for publication in the last three months are shown in the list below (newest first). The website checks for new decisions daily and updates the list accordingly. For full lists per year, please access the subpages.
December 2022
Änderung des Vorbringens - Änderung im Sinne des Art. 12 (4) VOBK 2020
Änderung des Vorbringens - in zulässiger Weise vorgebracht und aufrechterhalten (ja)
Änderungen - zulässig (ja)
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - (ja)
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - Could-would approach
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - Hilfsantrag (ja)
Novelty - (yes)
Inventive step - (yes)
Intervention of the assumed infringer - admissible (yes)
Novelty (no)
Novelty - public prior use (yes)
Novelty - burden of proof
Amendment to appeal case - state of the proceedings
Inventive step - (no)
Inventive step - effect not made credible within the whole scope of claim
Amendments - extension beyond the content of the application as filed (yes)
A similarity [of the claimed subject-matter] to a business or administrative solution is not a sufficient reason for denying a technical contribution of a claim feature applied in a technical context and involving technical considerations. Put another way, technical considerations in the technical context cannot be negated merely on the basis of a non-technical analogy.
... The analogy to a post office, essentially invoked by the contested decision, is used in technical literature in order to describe functionality of the transport layer (layer 4) of the OSI model. However, in the Board's view, it would not be sound to assert, only based on this analogy, that communication protocols implementing this layer's functionality lack technical character.
(See points 3.2.7 and 3.2.8 of the reasons).
Technical contribution - routing an electronic message and ensuring its integrity (yes - no mere automation of an administrative scheme)
Remittal to the department of first instance (yes)
Änderungen - Erweiterung über den Inhalt der Anmeldung in der eingereichten Fassung hinaus (nein)
Patentansprüche - Deutlichkeit (ja)
Ausnahmen von der Patentierbarkeit - Diagnostizierverfahren
Ausnahmen von der Patentierbarkeit - (nein)
Zurückverweisung - besondere Gründe für Zurückverweisung
Zurückverweisung - (ja)
Correction of error - set of claims
Correction of error - immediately evident that nothing else could have been intended (no)
Amendments - amended claims relating to unsearched subject-matter
Amendment after summons - exceptional circumstances (no)
Remittal - fundamental deficiency in first-instance proceedings (no)
Reimbursement of appeal fee - substantial procedural violation (no)
Reimbursement of appeal fee - Interlocutory revision
Novelty - main request (no)
Inventive step - auxiliary request (yes)
Amendments - auxiliary request
Amendments - allowable (yes)
Sufficiency of disclosure - auxiliary request (yes)
Grounds for opposition - added subject-matter (no)
Grounds for opposition - insufficiency of disclosure (no)
Late-filed facts - submitted with the statement of grounds of appeal
Late-filed facts - admitted (no)
Oral proceedings - withdrawal of request for oral proceedings
Amendments - added subject-matter (yes)
Inventive step - (yes)
Inventive step - problem and solution approach
Amendment to appeal case - amendment overcomes issues raised (yes)