European Patent Office

T 0736/95 (Fresh ground of opposition/AMGEN INC.) vom 09.10.2000

Europäischer Rechtsprechungsidentifikator
ECLI:EP:BA:2000:T073695.20001009
Datum der Entscheidung
9. Oktober 2000
Aktenzeichen
T 0736/95
Antrag auf Überprüfung von
-
Anmeldenummer
83901979.1
IPC-Klasse
C07K 13/00
Verfahrenssprache
Englisch
Verteilung
Im Amtsblatt des EPA veröffentlicht (A)
Amtsblattfassungen
Weitere Entscheidungen für diese Akte
-
Zusammenfassungen für diese Entscheidung
-
Bezeichnung der Anmeldung
(Met-1,des-Cys1,des-Tyr2,des-Cys3) interféron gamma humain et séquence d'ADN qui le code
Name des Antragstellers
AMGEN INC.
Name des Einsprechenden
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
Kammer
3.3.04
Leitsatz

From the Enlarged Board of Appeal case law, decisions G 10/91 and G 1/95 in particular, and the Guidelines for the examination in the EPO follows that the aim of the patent prosecution to avoid invalid patents comes to the foreground as far as proceedings before the first instance are concerned. By adding that the Enlarged Board of Appeal did not see any reason to change the practice of the first instance, it indicated that the first instance at least needs to examine whether a fresh ground is relevant. Therefore, before declaring it inadmissible, the opposition division should have examined under Article 114(1) EPC whether the ground raised under Article 100(c) EPC could prejudice the maintenance of the patent.

Schlagwörter
Admissibility of fresh ground of opposition - relevance
Obligation of opposition division to examine fresh ground of opposition for relevance
Remittal to first instance for further prosecution - yes
Referral to Enlarged Board of Appeal - no
Orientierungssatz
-

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The decision under appeal is set aside.

2. The case is remitted to the first instance for further prosecution.