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Guidelines for Examination in the EPO

Guidelines for Examination - Table of Contents  
PART C GUIDELINES FOR SUBSTANTIVE EXAMINATION PART B PART D  
CHAPTER III CLAIMS CHAPTER II CONTENT OF A EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (OTHER THAN CLAIMS) CHAPTER IV PATENTABILITY  
1. General   2. Form and content of claims  


1.

General

  

The application must contain "one or more claims".

Art. 78(1)(c)



These must:

Art. 84



(i)

"define the matter for which protection is sought";

  

(ii)

"be clear and concise"; and

  

(iii)

"be supported by the description".

  

Since the extent of the protection conferred by a European patent or application is determined by the claims (interpreted with the help of the description and the drawings), clarity of claim is of the utmost importance (see also III, 4).

Art. 69(1)



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