European Patent Office

G 0004/08 (Language of the proceedings/MERIAL) of 16.02.2010

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2010:G000408.20100216
Date of decision
16 February 2010
Case number
G 0004/08
Petition for review of
J 0008/07 2008-12-08
Application number
02759818.4
IPC class
C12N 1/00
Language of proceedings
French
Distribution
Published in the EPO's Official Journal (A)
Other decisions for this case
-
Abstracts for this decision
-
Application title
Vaccin contre le virus de la fièvre du Nil.
Applicant name
MERIAL
Opponent name
-
Board
-
Headnote
-
Keywords
Language of the proceedings
Catchword
The Enlarged Board of Appeal, in response to the three points of law referred to it, concludes that:
Question 1: If an international patent application has been filed and published under the PCT in an official language of the EPO, it is not possible, on entry into the European phase, to file a translation of the application into another EPO official language.
Question 2: In written proceedings on a European patent application or an international application in the regional phase, EPO departments cannot use an EPO official language other than the language of proceedings used for the application under Article 14(3) EPC.
Question 3: This question is redundant.
Citing cases
J 0013/14T 1787/16

Order

For these reasons it is decided that:

Question 1:

If an international patent application has been filed and published under the PCT in an official language of the EPO, it is not possible, on entry into the European phase, to file a translation of the application into another EPO official language.

Question 2:

In written proceedings on a European patent application or an international application in the regional phase, EPO departments cannot use an EPO official language other than the language of proceedings used for the application under Article 14(3) EPC.

Question 3:

This question is redundant.