Guidelines for Examination

Chapter IV – State of the art

1. General remarks and definition

2. Enabling disclosures

3. Date of filing or priority date as effective date

4. Documents in a non-official language

5. Conflict with other European applications

6. Conflict with national rights of earlier date

7. State of the art made available to the public "by use or in any other way"

8. Cross-references between prior art documents

9. Errors in prior art documents