Recently published decisions 2023
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 2023
Amendments - allowable (yes)
Novelty - (yes)
Inventive step - (yes)
For an argument that a claimed method is a straightforward automation of a known manual practice of a laboratory assistant, it should be clear what is the alleged manual practice, it should be convincing that it was indeed an existing practice at the relevant date and that it would have been obvious to consider automating it (see point 20 et seq.
of the reasons).
Inventive step - automation of a known manual practice (no)
Remittal for further prosecution (yes)
Inventive step - (no
Inventive step - obvious implementation of non-technical requirements)
Sufficiency of disclosure - main and 1st to 7th auxiliary requests (no): disclosure of "at least one way" but not over the "whole scope claimed"
Remittal of the caseRemittal - (no): alleged ex officio objection under Art. 114(1) EPC is per se no "special reason"
Amendments - extension beyond the content of the application as filed (yes)
Allowability under Article 123(2) EPC based on point 2 of the order of G 1/93 (no)
Right to be heard - no opportunity to submit an additional auxiliary request during oral proceedings
Right to be heard - substantial procedural violation (yes)
Evidence submitted with the statement setting out the grounds of appeal
Evidence - admitted (yes)
Sufficiency of disclosure - main request (no)
Auxilary requests filed before the opposition division but not substantiated - taken into account (no)
Auxiliary requets 17 to 20 submitted with the statement setting out the grounds of appeal - admitted (yes)
Auxiliary request 17 - sufficiency of disclosure (yes)
Remittal - special circumstances (yes)
Petition for review - clearly unallowable
Written reasoned decision - Fundamental violation of
Article 113(1) EPC (no)
Request that appellant be entered on the list of representatives (not allowed)
Principle of legitimate expectation - expectation relied on by appellant not legitimate
Referral to the Enlarged Board of Appeal - (no)
Reimbursement of appeal fee - (no)
Reimbursement of appeal fee - request for reimbursement must be justifed with reasons relating to a substantial procedural violation
Zulassung Hauptantrag - ja
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - ja
Neuheit - (ja)
Erfinderische Tätigkeit - (ja)
Spät eingereichte Tatsachen - zugelassen (nein)
Spät eingereichte Tatsachen - Einwand hätte bereits im erstinstanzlichen Verfahren erhoben werden können (ja)
Spät eingereichte Beweismittel - zugelassen (nein)
Spät eingereichte Beweismittel - hätte bereits im erstinstanzlichen Verfahren vorgebracht werden können (ja)
Änderung nach Ladung - außergewöhnliche Umstände (nein)
Ermittlung von Amts wegen - Einspruchsverfahren