Skip to main content Skip to footer
HomeHome
 
  • Homepage
  • Searching for patents

    Patent knowledge

    Access our patent databases and search tools.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Technical information
      • Overview
      • Espacenet - patent search
      • European Publication Server
      • EP full-text search
    • Legal information
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
      • European Patent Bulletin
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
      • Technology insight reports
    • Data
      • Overview
      • Technology Intelligence Platform
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
      • Web services
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
    • Technology platforms
      • Overview
      • Plastics in transition
      • Water innovation
      • Space innovation
      • Technologies combatting cancer
      • Firefighting technologies
      • Clean energy technologies
      • Fighting coronavirus
    • Helpful resources
      • Overview
      • First time here?
      • Asian patent information
      • Patent information centres
      • Patent Translate
      • Patent Knowledge News
      • Business and statistics
      • Unitary Patent information in patent knowledge
    Image
    Plastics in Transition

    Technology insight report on plastic waste management

  • Applying for a patent

    Applying for a patent

    Practical information on filing and grant procedures.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • European route
      • Overview
      • European Patent Guide
      • Oppositions
      • Oral proceedings
      • Appeals
      • Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court
      • National validation
      • Request for extension/validation
    • International route (PCT)
      • Overview
      • Euro-PCT Guide – PCT procedure at the EPO
      • EPO decisions and notices
      • PCT provisions and resources
      • Extension/validation request
      • Reinforced partnership programme
      • Accelerating your PCT application
      • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
      • Training and events
    • National route
    • Find a professional representative
    • MyEPO services
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
      • Get access
      • File with us
      • Interact with us on your files
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
    • Forms
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Fees
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
      • International fees (PCT)
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
      • Fee payment and refunds
      • Warning

    UP

    Find out how the Unitary Patent can enhance your IP strategy

  • Law & practice

    Law & practice

    European patent law, the Official Journal and other legal texts.

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Legal texts
      • Overview
      • European Patent Convention
      • Official Journal
      • Guidelines
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
      • Unitary patent system
      • National measures relating to the Unitary Patent
    • Court practices
      • Overview
      • European Patent Judges' Symposium
    • User consultations
      • Overview
      • Ongoing consultations
      • Completed consultations
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Overview
      • The Tegernsee process
      • Group B+
    • Convergence of practice
    • Options for professional representatives
    Image
    Law and practice scales 720x237

    Keep up with key aspects of selected BoA decisions with our monthly "Abstracts of decisions”

  • News & events

    News & events

    Our latest news, podcasts and events, including the European Inventor Award.

    Go to overview 

     

    • Overview
    • News
    • Events
    • European Inventor Award
      • Overview
      • The meaning of tomorrow
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the finalists
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventor Prize
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
    • Press centre
      • Overview
      • Patent Index and statistics
      • Search in press centre
      • Background information
      • Copyright
      • Press contacts
      • Call back form
      • Email alert service
    • Innovation and patenting in focus
      • Overview
      • Water-related technologies
      • CodeFest
      • Green tech in focus
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Lifestyle
      • Space and satellites
      • The future of medicine
      • Materials science
      • Mobile communications
      • Biotechnology
      • Patent classification
      • Digital technologies
      • The future of manufacturing
      • Books by EPO experts
    • "Talk innovation" podcast

    Podcast

    From ideas to inventions: tune into our podcast for the latest in tech and IP

  • Learning

    Learning

    The European Patent Academy – the point of access to your learning

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • Learning activities and paths
      • Overview
      • Learning activities
      • Learning paths
    • EQE and EPAC
      • Overview
      • EQE - European qualifying examination
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • CSP – Candidate Support Programme
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
    • Learning resources by profile
      • Overview
      • Business and IP managers
      • EQE and EPAC Candidates
      • Judges, lawyers and prosecutors
      • National offices and IP authorities
      • Patent attorneys and paralegals
      • Universities, research centres and technology transfer centres (TTOs)
    Image
    Patent Academy catalogue

    Have a look at the extensive range of learning opportunities in the European Patent Academy training catalogue

  • About us

    About us

    Find out more about our work, values, history and vision

    Go to overview 

    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Overview
      • Official celebrations
      • Member states’ video statements
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • Athens Marathon
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states of the European Patent Organisation
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Administrative Council and subsidiary bodies
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
      • Calendar
      • Documents and publications
      • Administrative Council
    • Principles & strategy
      • Overview
      • Our mission, vision, values and corporate policy
      • Strategic Plan 2028
      • Towards a New Normal
    • Leadership & management
      • Overview
      • President António Campinos
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Sustainability at the EPO
      • Overview
      • Environmental
      • Social
      • Governance and Financial sustainability
    • Services & activities
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
      • Consulting our users
      • European and international co-operation
      • European Patent Academy
      • Chief Economist
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Observatory on Patents and Technology
      • Overview
      • Innovation actors
      • Policy and funding
      • Tools
      • About the Observatory
    • Procurement
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • Sustainable Procurement Policy
      • About eTendering and electronic signatures
      • Procurement portal
      • Invoicing
      • General conditions
      • Archived tenders
    • Transparency portal
      • Overview
      • General
      • Human
      • Environmental
      • Organisational
      • Social and relational
      • Economic
      • Governance
    • Statistics and trends
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • Patent Index 2024
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Art collection
      • Overview
      • The collection
      • Let's talk about art
      • Artists
      • Media library
      • What's on
      • Publications
      • Contact
      • Culture Space A&T 5-10
      • "Long Night"
    Image
    Patent Index 2024 keyvisual showing brightly lit up data chip, tinted in purple, bright blue

    Track the latest tech trends with our Patent Index

 
en de fr
  • Language selection
  • English
  • Deutsch
  • Français
Main navigation
  • Homepage
    • Go back
    • New to patents
  • New to patents
    • Go back
    • Your business and patents
    • Why do we have patents?
    • What's your big idea?
    • Are you ready?
    • What to expect
    • How to apply for a patent
    • Is it patentable?
    • Are you first?
    • Patent quiz
    • Unitary patent video
  • Searching for patents
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Technical information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Espacenet - patent search
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • National patent office databases
        • Global Patent Index (GPI)
        • Release notes
      • European Publication Server
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes
        • Cross-reference index for Euro-PCT applications
        • EP authority file
        • Help
      • EP full-text search
    • Legal information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Register
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes archive
        • Register documentation
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Deep link data coverage
          • Federated Register
          • Register events
      • European Patent Bulletin
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Download Bulletin
        • EP Bulletin search
        • Help
      • European Case Law Identifier sitemap
      • Third-party observations
    • Business information
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • PATSTAT
      • IPscore
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Technology insight reports
    • Data
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technology Intelligence Platform
      • Linked open EP data
      • Bulk data sets
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Manuals
        • Sequence listings
        • National full-text data
        • European Patent Register data
        • EPO worldwide bibliographic data (DOCDB)
        • EP full-text data
        • EPO worldwide legal event data (INPADOC)
        • EP bibliographic data (EBD)
        • Boards of Appeal decisions
      • Web services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • European Publication Server web service
      • Coverage, codes and statistics
        • Go back
        • Weekly updates
        • Updated regularly
    • Technology platforms
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Plastics in transition
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Plastics waste recovery
        • Plastics waste recycling
        • Alternative plastics
      • Innovation in water technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Clean water
        • Protection from water
      • Space innovation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Cosmonautics
        • Space observation
      • Technologies combatting cancer
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Prevention and early detection
        • Diagnostics
        • Therapies
        • Wellbeing and aftercare
      • Firefighting technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Detection and prevention of fires
        • Fire extinguishing
        • Protective equipment
        • Post-fire restoration
      • Clean energy technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Renewable energy
        • Carbon-intensive industries
        • Energy storage and other enabling technologies
      • Fighting coronavirus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Vaccines and therapeutics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Vaccines
          • Overview of candidate therapies for COVID-19
          • Candidate antiviral and symptomatic therapeutics
          • Nucleic acids and antibodies to fight coronavirus
        • Diagnostics and analytics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Protein and nucleic acid assays
          • Analytical protocols
        • Informatics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Bioinformatics
          • Healthcare informatics
        • Technologies for the new normal
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Devices, materials and equipment
          • Procedures, actions and activities
          • Digital technologies
        • Inventors against coronavirus
    • Helpful resources
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • First time here?
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Basic definitions
        • Patent classification
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)
        • Patent families
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • DOCDB simple patent family
          • INPADOC extended patent family
        • Legal event data
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • INPADOC classification scheme
      • Asian patent information
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • China (CN)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Chinese Taipei (TW)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • India (IN)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
        • Japan (JP)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Korea (KR)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Grant procedure
          • Numbering system
          • Useful terms
          • Searching in databases
        • Russian Federation (RU)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Facts and figures
          • Numbering system
          • Searching in databases
        • Useful links
      • Patent information centres (PATLIB)
      • Patent Translate
      • Patent Knowledge News
      • Business and statistics
      • Unitary Patent information in patent knowledge
  • Applying for a patent
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • European route
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Guide
      • Oppositions
      • Oral proceedings
        • Go back
        • Oral proceedings calendar
          • Go back
          • Calendar
          • Public access to appeal proceedings
          • Public access to opposition proceedings
          • Technical guidelines
      • Appeals
      • Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Unitary Patent
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Legal framework
          • Main features
          • Applying for a Unitary Patent
          • Cost of a Unitary Patent
          • Translation and compensation
          • Start date
          • Introductory brochures
        • Unified Patent Court
      • National validation
      • Extension/validation request
    • International route
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Euro-PCT Guide
      • Entry into the European phase
      • Decisions and notices
      • PCT provisions and resources
      • Extension/validation request
      • Reinforced partnership programme
      • Accelerating your PCT application
      • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
        • Go back
        • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme outline
      • Training and events
    • National route
    • MyEPO services
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Understand our services
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Exchange data with us using an API
          • Go back
          • Release notes
      • Get access
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Release notes
      • File with us
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • What if our online filing services are down?
        • Release notes
      • Interact with us on your files
        • Go back
        • Release notes
      • Online Filing & fee payment outages
    • Fees
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European fees (EPC)
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Decisions and notices
      • International fees (PCT)
        • Go back
        • Reduction in fees
        • Fees for international applications
        • Decisions and notices
        • Overview
      • Unitary Patent fees (UP)
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Decisions and notices
      • Fee payment and refunds
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Payment methods
        • Getting started
        • FAQs and other documentation
        • Technical information for batch payments
        • Decisions and notices
        • Release notes
      • Warning
    • Forms
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Request for examination
    • Find a professional representative
  • Law & practice
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Legal texts
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Convention
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Documentation on the EPC revision 2000
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • Diplomatic Conference for the revision of the EPC
            • Travaux préparatoires
            • New text
            • Transitional provisions
            • Implementing regulations to the EPC 2000
            • Rules relating to Fees
            • Ratifications and accessions
          • Travaux Préparatoires EPC 1973
      • Official Journal
      • Guidelines
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • EPC Guidelines
        • PCT-EPO Guidelines
        • Unitary Patent Guidelines
        • Guidelines revision cycle
        • Consultation results
        • Summary of user responses
        • Archive
      • Extension / validation system
      • London Agreement
      • National law relating to the EPC
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Archive
      • Unitary Patent system
        • Go back
        • Travaux préparatoires to UP and UPC
      • National measures relating to the Unitary Patent 
    • Court practices
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • European Patent Judges' Symposium
    • User consultations
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Ongoing consultations
      • Completed consultations
    • Substantive patent law harmonisation
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The Tegernsee process
      • Group B+
    • Convergence of practice
    • Options for professional representatives
  • News & events
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • News
    • Events
    • European Inventor Award
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The meaning of tomorrow
      • About the award
      • Categories and prizes
      • Meet the inventors
      • Nominations
      • European Inventor Network
        • Go back
        • 2024 activities
        • 2025 activities
        • Rules and criteria
        • FAQ
      • The 2024 event
    • Young Inventors Prize
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the prize
      • Nominations
      • The jury
      • The world, reimagined
      • The 2025 event
    • Press centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent Index and statistics
      • Search in press centre
      • Background information
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • European Patent Office
        • Q&A on patents related to coronavirus
        • Q&A on plant patents
      • Copyright
      • Press contacts
      • Call back form
      • Email alert service
    • In focus
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Water-related technologies
      • CodeFest
        • Go back
        • CodeFest Spring 2025 on classifying patent data for sustainable development
        • Overview
        • CodeFest 2024 on generative AI
        • CodeFest 2023 on Green Plastics
      • Green tech in focus
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About green tech
        • Renewable energies
        • Energy transition technologies
        • Building a greener future
      • Research institutes
      • Women inventors
      • Lifestyle
      • Space and satellites
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patents and space technologies
      • Healthcare
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Medical technologies and cancer
        • Personalised medicine
      • Materials science
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Nanotechnology
      • Mobile communications
      • Biotechnology
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Red, white or green
        • The role of the EPO
        • What is patentable?
        • Biotech inventors
      • Classification
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Nanotechnology
        • Climate change mitigation technologies
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • External partners
          • Updates on Y02 and Y04S
      • Digital technologies
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About ICT
        • Hardware and software
        • Artificial intelligence
        • Fourth Industrial Revolution
      • Additive manufacturing
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • About AM
        • AM innovation
      • Books by EPO experts
    • Podcast
  • Learning
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Learning activities and paths
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Learning activities: types and formats
      • Learning paths
    • EQE and EPAC
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • EQE - European Qualifying Examination
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Compendium
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Paper F
          • Paper A
          • Paper B
          • Paper C
          • Paper D
          • Pre-examination
        • Candidates successful in the European qualifying examination
        • Archive
      • EPAC - European patent administration certification
      • CSP – Candidate Support Programme
    • Learning resources by area of interest
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent granting
      • Technology transfer and dissemination
      • Patent enforcement and litigation
    • Learning resources by profile
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Business and IP managers
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Innovation case studies
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • SME case studies
          • Technology transfer case studies
          • High-growth technology case studies
        • Inventor's handbook
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Introduction
          • Disclosure and confidentiality
          • Novelty and prior art
          • Competition and market potential
          • Assessing the risk ahead
          • Proving the invention
          • Protecting your idea
          • Building a team and seeking funding
          • Business planning
          • Finding and approaching companies
          • Dealing with companies
        • Best of search matters
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Tools and databases
          • EPO procedures and initiatives
          • Search strategies
          • Challenges and specific topics
        • Support for high-growth technology businesses
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Business decision-makers
          • IP professionals
          • Stakeholders of the Innovation Ecosystem
      • EQE and EPAC Candidates
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Paper F brain-teasers
        • Daily D questions
        • European qualifying examination - Guide for preparation
        • EPAC
      • Judges, lawyers and prosecutors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Compulsory licensing in Europe
        • The jurisdiction of European courts in patent disputes
      • National offices and IP authorities
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Learning material for examiners of national officers
        • Learning material for formalities officers and paralegals
      • Patent attorneys and paralegals
      • Universities, research centres and TTOs
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF)
        • Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • For students
          • For universities
            • Go back
            • Overview
            • IP education resources
            • University memberships
          • Our young professionals
          • Professional development plan
        • Academic Research Programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Completed research projects
          • Current research projects
        • IP Teaching Kit
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Download modules
        • Intellectual property course design manual
        • PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa
          • Go back
          • The PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa initiative (KT2A)
          • KT2A core activities
          • Success story: Malawi University of Science and Technology and PATLIB Birmingham
  • About us
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • The EPO at a glance
    • 50 years of the EPC
      • Go back
      • Official celebrations
      • Overview
      • Member states’ video statements
        • Go back
        • Albania
        • Austria
        • Belgium
        • Bulgaria
        • Croatia
        • Cyprus
        • Czech Republic
        • Denmark
        • Estonia
        • Finland
        • France
        • Germany
        • Greece
        • Hungary
        • Iceland
        • Ireland
        • Italy
        • Latvia
        • Liechtenstein
        • Lithuania
        • Luxembourg
        • Malta
        • Monaco
        • Montenegro
        • Netherlands
        • North Macedonia
        • Norway
        • Poland
        • Portugal
        • Romania
        • San Marino
        • Serbia
        • Slovakia
        • Slovenia
        • Spain
        • Sweden
        • Switzerland
        • Türkiye
        • United Kingdom
      • 50 Leading Tech Voices
      • Athens Marathon
      • Kids’ collaborative art competition
    • Legal foundations and member states
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Legal foundations
      • Member states
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Member states by date of accession
      • Extension states
      • Validation states
    • Administrative Council and subsidiary bodies
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Communiqués
        • Go back
        • 2024
        • Overview
        • 2023
        • 2022
        • 2021
        • 2020
        • 2019
        • 2018
        • 2017
        • 2016
        • 2015
        • 2014
        • 2013
      • Calendar
      • Documents and publications
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Select Committee documents
      • Administrative Council
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Composition
        • Representatives
        • Rules of Procedure
        • Board of Auditors
        • Secretariat
        • Council bodies
    • Principles & strategy
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Mission, vision, values & corporate policy
      • Strategic Plan 2028
        • Go back
        • Driver 1: People
        • Driver 2: Technologies
        • Driver 3: High-quality, timely products and services
        • Driver 4: Partnerships
        • Driver 5: Financial sustainability
      • Towards a New Normal
      • Data protection & privacy notice
    • Leadership & management
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • About the President
      • Management Advisory Committee
    • Sustainability at the EPO
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Environmental
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Inspiring environmental inventions
      • Social
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Inspiring social inventions
      • Governance and Financial sustainability
    • Procurement
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Procurement forecast
      • Doing business with the EPO
      • Procurement procedures
      • Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) publications
      • Sustainable Procurement Policy
      • About eTendering
      • Invoicing
      • Procurement portal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • e-Signing contracts
      • General conditions
      • Archived tenders
    • Services & activities
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Our services & structure
      • Quality
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Foundations
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • European Patent Convention
          • Guidelines for examination
          • Our staff
        • Enabling quality
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Prior art
          • Classification
          • Tools
          • Processes
        • Products & services
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
          • Continuous improvement
        • Quality through networking
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • User engagement
          • Co-operation
          • User satisfaction survey
          • Stakeholder Quality Assurance Panels
        • Patent Quality Charter
        • Quality Action Plan
        • Quality dashboard
        • Statistics
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Search
          • Examination
          • Opposition
        • Integrated management at the EPO
      • Consulting our users
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO (SACEPO)
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Objectives
          • SACEPO and its working parties
          • Meetings
          • Single Access Portal – SACEPO Area
        • Surveys
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Detailed methodology
          • Search services
          • Examination services, final actions and publication
          • Opposition services
          • Formalities services
          • Customer services
          • Filing services
          • Key Account Management (KAM)
          • Website
          • Archive
      • Our user service charter
      • European and international co-operation
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Co-operation with member states
          • Go back
          • Overview
        • Bilateral co-operation with non-member states
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Validation system
          • Reinforced Partnership programme
        • Multilateral international co-operation with IP offices and organisations
        • Co-operation with international organisations outside the IP system
      • European Patent Academy
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Partners
      • Chief Economist
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Economic studies
      • Ombuds Office
      • Reporting wrongdoing
    • Observatory on Patents and Technology
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Innovation against cancer
      • Innovation actors
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Startups and SMEs
      • Policy and funding
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Financing innovation programme
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Our studies on the financing of innovation
          • EPO initiatives for patent applicants
          • Financial support for innovators in Europe
        • Patents and standards
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Publications
          • Patent standards explorer
      • Tools
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Deep Tech Finder
      • About the Observatory
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Work plan
    • Transparency portal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • General
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Annual Review 2023
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Foreword
          • Executive summary
          • 50 years of the EPC
          • Strategic key performance indicators
          • Goal 1: Engaged and empowered
          • Goal 2: Digital transformation
          • Goal 3: Master quality
          • Goal 4: Partner for positive impact
          • Goal 5: Secure sustainability
        • Annual Review 2022
          • Go back
          • Overview
          • Foreword
          • Executive summary
          • Goal 1: Engaged and empowered
          • Goal 2: Digital transformation
          • Goal 3: Master quality
          • Goal 4: Partner for positive impact
          • Goal 5: Secure sustainability
      • Human
      • Environmental
      • Organisational
      • Social and relational
      • Economic
      • Governance
    • Statistics and trends
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Statistics & Trends Centre
      • Patent Index 2024
        • Go back
        • Insight into computer technology and AI
        • Insight into clean energy technologies
        • Statistics and indicators
          • Go back
          • European patent applications
            • Go back
            • Key trend
            • Origin
            • Top 10 technical fields
              • Go back
              • Computer technology
              • Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy
              • Digital communication
              • Medical technology
              • Transport
              • Measurement
              • Biotechnology
              • Pharmaceuticals
              • Other special machines
              • Organic fine chemistry
            • All technical fields
          • Applicants
            • Go back
            • Top 50
            • Categories
            • Women inventors
          • Granted patents
            • Go back
            • Key trend
            • Origin
            • Designations
      • Data to download
      • EPO Data Hub
      • Clarification on data sources
    • History
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • 1970s
      • 1980s
      • 1990s
      • 2000s
      • 2010s
      • 2020s
    • Art collection
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • The collection
      • Let's talk about art
      • Artists
      • Media library
      • What's on
      • Publications
      • Contact
      • Culture Space A&T 5-10
        • Go back
        • Catalyst lab & Deep vision
          • Go back
          • Irene Sauter (DE)
          • AVPD (DK)
          • Jan Robert Leegte (NL)
          • Jānis Dzirnieks (LV) #1
          • Jānis Dzirnieks (LV) #2
          • Péter Szalay (HU)
          • Thomas Feuerstein (AT)
          • Tom Burr (US)
          • Wolfgang Tillmans (DE)
          • TerraPort
          • Unfinished Sculpture - Captives #1
          • Deep vision – immersive exhibition
          • Previous exhibitions
        • The European Patent Journey
        • Sustaining life. Art in the climate emergency
        • Next generation statements
        • Open storage
        • Cosmic bar
      • "Long Night"
  • Boards of Appeal
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Decisions of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Recent decisions
      • Selected decisions
    • Information from the Boards of Appeal
    • Procedure
    • Oral proceedings
    • About the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • President of the Boards of Appeal
      • Enlarged Board of Appeal
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Pending referrals (Art. 112 EPC)
        • Decisions sorted by number (Art. 112 EPC)
        • Pending petitions for review (Art. 112a EPC)
        • Decisions on petitions for review (Art. 112a EPC)
      • Technical Boards of Appeal
      • Legal Board of Appeal
      • Disciplinary Board of Appeal
      • Presidium
        • Go back
        • Overview
    • Code of Conduct
    • Business distribution scheme
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Technical boards of appeal by IPC in 2025
      • Archive
    • Annual list of cases
    • Communications
    • Annual reports
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
      • Go back
      • Abstracts of decisions
    • Case Law of the Boards of Appeal
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Archive
  • Service & support
    • Go back
    • Overview
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • FAQ
      • Go back
      • Overview
    • Publications
    • Ordering
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent Knowledge Products and Services
      • Terms and conditions
        • Go back
        • Overview
        • Patent information products
        • Bulk data sets
        • Open Patent Services (OPS)
        • Fair use charter
    • Procedural communications
    • Useful links
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Patent offices of member states
      • Other patent offices
      • Directories of patent attorneys
      • Patent databases, registers and gazettes
      • Disclaimer
    • Contact us
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Filing options
      • Locations
    • Subscription centre
      • Go back
      • Overview
      • Subscribe
      • Change preferences
      • Unsubscribe
    • Official holidays
    • Glossary
    • RSS feeds
Board of Appeals
Decisions

Recent decisions

Overview
  • 2025 decisions
  • 2024 decisions
  • 2023 decisions
  1. Home
  2. T 0004/14 (Oxyntomodulin/IMPERIAL) 25-05-2018
Facebook X Linkedin Email

T 0004/14 (Oxyntomodulin/IMPERIAL) 25-05-2018

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2018:T000414.20180525
Date of decision
25 May 2018
Case number
T 0004/14
Petition for review of
-
Application number
04701379.2
IPC class
A61K 38/17
Language of proceedings
EN
Distribution
NO DISTRIBUTION (D)

Download and more information:

Decision in EN 378.61 KB
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the European Patent Register
Bibliographic information is available in:
EN
Versions
Unpublished
Application title

Modification of feeding behaviour and weight control by oxyntomodulin

Applicant name
Imperial Innovations Limited
Opponent name
Eli Lilly and Company
Board
3.3.04
Headnote
-
Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 83
Keywords
All requests - sufficiency of disclosure (no)
Catchword
-
Cited decisions
T 0409/91
T 0435/91
Citing decisions
-

I. The appeal was lodged by the patent proprietor (hereinafter "the appellant") against the decision of the opposition division to revoke European patent

No. 1 581 248, having the title "Modification of feeding behaviour and weight control by oxyntomodulin".

II. In the impugned decision the opposition division held inter alia that the patent lacked sufficiency of disclosure in relation to the invention claimed in all of the pending claim requests (Article 83 EPC).

III. With its statement of grounds of appeal the appellant submitted claims of a main request and auxiliary requests 1 to 3 and argued inter alia that the patent with the claims of these requests complied with the requirements of Article 83 EPC.

Claim 1 of the main request read:

"1. A pharmaceutical composition comprising oxyntomodulin and one or more other agent(s), each of which reduces food intake and/or reduces hunger, wherein the other agent or one of the other agents is PYY or an agonist thereof." (emphasis added by the board)

Claim 1 of auxiliary request 1 read:

"1. A pharmaceutical composition comprising oxyntomodulin and another agent, each of which reduces food intake and/or reduces hunger, wherein said oxyntomodulin corresponds to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:l, SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO: 3 and wherein the histidine residue at position 1 is maintained or replaced by an aromatic moiety carrying a positive charge or a derivative thereof, while 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 of the other amino acids in the above OXM sequence can be independently replaced by any other independently chosen amino acid, with the exception of histidine in position 1, and wherein the other agent or one of the other agents is PYY or an agonist thereof." (emphasis added by the board)

Claim 1 of auxiliary request 2 corresponded to claim 1 of the main request but with the wording "hunger, wherein" replaced by the wording "hunger, wherein said oxyntomodulin corresponds to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and wherein the histidine residue at position 1 is maintained or replaced by an aromatic moiety carrying a positive charge or a derivative thereof, while 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 of the other amino acids in the above OXM sequence can be independently replaced by any other independently chosen amino acid, with the exception of histidine in position 1, and wherein the sequence has no deleted amino acid residues wherein" (emphasis added by the board)

Claim 1 of auxiliary request 3 corresponded to claim 1 of auxiliary request 2 but with the feature "the other agents is PYY or an agonist thereof" replaced by the feature "the other agents is PYY3-36 or an agonist thereof".

IV. The opponent replied to the appeal and submitted, inter alia, that the patent based on the claims of any of the main request and auxiliary requests 1 to 3 did not comply with the requirements of Article 83 EPC.

V. The board summoned the parties to oral proceedings and informed them in a communication pursuant to Article 15(1) RPBA of its preliminary non-binding opinion on some of the issues concerning the appeal, including sufficiency of disclosure (Article 83 EPC).

VI. Prior to the date of the oral proceedings, the appellant withdrew its conditional request for oral proceedings and requested a decision on the appeal based on the written submissions and requests. On the same day the respondent confirmed its conditional request for oral proceedings. Subsequently, the parties were informed by the registry of the board that the oral proceedings would take place as scheduled.

VII. At the oral proceedings before the board the appellant was absent. At the end of the oral proceedings the chairwoman announced the board's decision.

VIII. The following documents are referred to in this decision:

D12: WO 2006/134340

D24: Druce et al. (2009), Endocrinology, Vol. 150,

No. 4, pages 1712 to 1721

D25: Santoprete et al. (2011), J. Pept. Sci., Vol. 17,

pages 270 to 280

IX. The appellant's written arguments in relation to sufficiency of disclosure (Article 83 EPC) where relevant for the decision may be summarised as follows:

Main request - claim 1

The term "oxyntomodulin" and its synonym "OXM" required the compound to have the biological activity of oxyntomodulin in accordance with the meaning as understood by the skilled person. Only compounds with this activity would be recognised by a person skilled in the art as falling within the scope of the term "oxyntomodulin".

Oxyntomodulin was put forward in the patent as an appetite suppressor for use in reducing food intake and/or hunger (see for example page 2, lines 3 and 4).

Document D12 taught that a very large number of OXM analogues, including those which substantially differed structurally from the native OXM sequence, have OXM's functional feature of reducing food intake and/or hunger.

Auxiliary requests 1 to 3 - claim 1

No arguments were filed during the appeal proceedings.

X. The respondent's arguments in writing and at the oral proceedings in relation to sufficiency of disclosure (Article 83 EPC) where relevant for the decision may be summarised as follows:

Main request - claim 1

The structural definition of compounds termed "oxyntomodulin" (or its synonym "OXM") given in paragraphs [0018] to [0028] of the patent was extremely broad and provided a practically innumerable amount of analogues. Although it referred to three specific OXM peptide sequences 36 amino acids long which were known to the skilled person, the patent did not align such sequences in order to identify e.g. common sequence patterns.

The patent did not describe what was to be understood by the biological activity of oxyntomodulin. This was also not clear to the skilled person on the basis of his common general knowledge, as it could refer to activities which were unique to OXM or those which could be considered positive (such as gastric emptying) or those which were negative activities (such as anxiety). It therefore constituted an undue burden for the skilled person to filter out and identify from the bulk of oxyntomodulin analogues as structurally defined in the patent those which had oxyntomodulin functionality. Accordingly, in the absence of such guidance it likewise constituted an undue burden to identify and select those analogues which further reduced food intake/hunger from those that did not as required by the claim.

That the structural definition of oxyntomodulin provided in the patent was unreasonably broad was further illustrated by the fact that it also encompassed compounds which would not be considered by the skilled person to constitute an "oxyntomodulin". The structural definition encompassed for example a 32 amino acid peptide that had the 31 amino acid sequence of GLP-1 plus one additional amino acid at the C-terminus. Such a peptide had 96.9% identity with GLP-1 and would typically be considered to be a GLP-1 analogue. It also encompassed for example a 39 amino acid peptide that had 37 amino acids in common with exendin-4, which was a 39 amino acid GLP-1 receptor agonist. Such a peptide had 94.9% identity with exendin-4 and would typically be considered to be an exendin-4 analogue.

Post-published document D12 corroborated that, based solely on the guidance in the patent, the identification of oxyntomodulin analogues referred to in the claims and capable of reducing food intake and/or hunger constituted an undue burden for the skilled person. In fact it disclosed the results of the very research programme required to obtain the necessary guidance for the skilled person to identify oxyntomodulin analogues referred to in the claim without undue burden.

Document D12 listed numerous failures of OXM analogues to reduce food intake. By way of example:

- Figure 22a demonstrated that N-terminal acetylation of OXM led to suppression of the food intake reduction;

- Figure 25a demonstrated that replacement of amino acids at positions 27 to 33 led to non-active compounds;

- Figure 27a demonstrated that, whereas some C-terminal additions of amino acids led to significant maintenance of food intake reduction, this maintenance could be suppressed by the presence of one single particular other amino acid;

- Figure 30a demonstrated that whereas a particular replacement of amino acids at positions 27 to 30 suppressed food intake reduction, this was not the case for a replacement of amino acids e.g. at positions 27 to 31 or 33;

- Figure 56a demonstrated that OXM conjugates such as Lys22-palmitoyl-oxm, but also others combining the conjugation with certain amino acid replacements (here 7 amino acids), did not lead to food intake reduction; and

- Figures 76a, 80a and 114c demonstrated that the replacement of histidine at position 1 by a histidine analogue in combination with certain other amino acid replacements could suppress food intake reduction and even lead to increased food intake as compared to saline control.

Failures were thus encountered by modifications across the whole length of the molecule, and significant losses of activity could be caused by changes even at one sole amino acid position, and it was only after identifying the numerous failures that document D12 was able to propose the general Formula (I) Z-X-S1 (see paragraph bridging pages 4 and 5), which guided the skilled person to obtain "a series of analogues of oxm that demonstrate the oxm like activity of reducing food intake, and with certain embodiments a greater ability to decrease food intake" (see page 4, lines 5 to 6), i.e. it "yielded a series of more that 160 oxm analogues of which the vast majority are more potent inhibitors of food intake than native oxm" (see page 7, lines 17 to 18).

Further examples of OXM analogues which failed to reduce food intake were disclosed in post-published document D24 (see page 1715, left-hand column, lines 34 to 35, and page 1718, paragraph bridging the columns) and document D25 (see Table 2).

In view of the lack of guidance in the prior art and in the patent in suit, the identification of oxyntomodulin analogues referred to in the claim thus amounted to trial-and-error experimentation.

Auxiliary requests 1 to 3 - claim 1

The scope of the term "oxyntomodulin" had been narrowed only slightly and now allowed only up to 12 amino acids rather than up to 22 amino acids to be replaced in auxiliary request 1 and in addition no longer allowed up to 5 amino acids to be deleted in auxiliary requests 2 and 3.

The reasons given as to why the patent in suit did not disclose the subject-matter of claim 1 of the main request also applied to the subject-matter now claimed.

XI. The appellant requested in writing that the decision under appeal be set aside and that the patent be maintained in amended form on the basis of the claims of the main request or, alternatively, of one of auxiliary requests 1 to 3, all as filed with the statement of grounds of appeal.

The respondent requested that the appeal be dismissed.

1. The appeal is admissible.

2. The appellant was duly summoned to oral proceedings but did not appear. In accordance with Rule 115(2) EPC the board decided that the proceedings were to be continued without the appellant. Furthermore, in accordance with Article 15(3) RPBA, the appellant was treated as relying on its written case.

Sufficiency of disclosure (Article 83 EPC)

3. The main issue to be decided in this appeal is whether or not the decision under appeal rightly held that the patent in suit did not disclose the invention in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for it to be carried out by a person skilled in the art in respect of the oxyntomodulin compound present in the claimed pharmaceutical compositions.

4. According to the case law of the Boards of Appeal, the requirements of sufficiency of disclosure are met only if the claimed invention can be performed by a person skilled in the art over the whole area claimed without undue burden, using common general knowledge and having regard to the information in the patent in suit (see e.g. decisions T 409/91, OJ EPO 1994, 653, reasons 3.5, and T 435/91, OJ EPO 1995, 188, reasons 2.2.1). A reasonable amount of trial and error is permissible, provided that a skilled person has at his disposal adequate information leading necessarily and directly towards success through the evaluation of initial failures (see Case Law of the Boards of Appeal, 8th edition 2016, II.C.5.6.1).

Main request - claim 1

5. The claimed invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising as an ingredient inter alia "oxyntomodulin [...] which reduces food intake and/or reduces hunger" (see section III).

6. The patent, in paragraphs [0018] to [0028], provides a structural definition of the terms "oxyntomodulin" and "OXM".

7. Paragraph [0018] starts by stating that "the term "oxyntomodulin" is the same as "OXM" and relates to any composition which includes an OXM peptide sequence or an analog thereof as follows: (...).". Whereas the following structural definition commences by referring to three specific OXM peptide sequences 36 amino acid long which were known in the art (see paragraph [0018], i.e. derived from humans, angler fish and eels), the subsequent paragraphs generalise this specific understanding of the terms "oxyntomodulin" and "OXM" by further stating:

- that the term "OXM used in this text also covers any analogue of the above OXM sequence, wherein the histidine residue at position 1 is maintained or replaced by an aromatic moiety carrying a positive charge or a derivative thereof, preferably wherein the moiety is an amino acid, more preferably wherein it is a histidine derivative, while 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22 of the other amino acids in the above OXM sequence can be independently replaced by any other independently chosen amino acid, with the exception of histidine in position 1." (see paragraph [0019]);

- that "[a]ny one or more (to 22) other alpha-amino acid residue in the sequence can be independently replaced by any other one alpha-amino acid residue. Preferably, any amino acid residue other than histidine is replaced with a conservative replacement as well known in the art i.e. replacing an amino acid with one of a similar chemical type such as replacing one hydrophobic amino acid with another." (see paragraph [0020]);

- that "(...). In addition to the replacement option above, this may be by a non-essential or modified or isomeric form of an amino acid. (...) Furthermore, 1 to 22 amino acids may be replaced by a corresponding or different amino acid linked via its side chain

(for example gamma-linked glutamic acid). For each of the replacements discussed above, the histidine residue at position 1 is unaltered or defined above." (see paragraph [0021]); and

- that "[i]n addition, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of the amino acid residues can be removed from the OXM sequence with the exception of histidine at the 1 position (or as defined above). The deleted residues may be any 2, 3, 4 or 5 contiguous residues or entirely separate residues." (see paragraph [0022]).

8. Accordingly, the board considers that paragraphs [0019] to [0022] do indeed generalise the specific meaning of the terms "oxyntomodulin" and "OXM" extensively in terms of structural variability. However, the structural definition in the patent in suit does not stop there, and is even further extended in the following paragraphs by stating inter alia

- that the C-terminus of the OXM sequence may be modified to add further amino acid residues or other moieties and that the OXM may be provided as the corresponding salt (see paragraphs [0023] and [0024]);

- that the OXM may be conjugated to one or more groups such as lipid, sugar, protein or polypeptide (see paragraphs [0025]; or

- that the amino acid side chains, the N-terminus and/or the C-terminus of the OXM may be chemically modified in a variety of ways (see paragraph [0026]).

9. The board therefore agrees with the respondent that the structural definition of the term "oxyntomodulin" contained in the patent and referred to in the claim covers a vast and practically innumerable host of OXM analogues in terms of their structural variability.

10. In order to illustrate the vast extent of the structural definition of oxyntomodulin given in paragraphs [0018] to [0028] of the patent, the respondent has submitted that it also encompasses for example a 32 amino acid peptide having 96.9% identity with the amino acid sequence of GLP-1 (see paragraph [0005] of the patent) and for example a 39 amino acid peptide having 94.9% identity with exendin-4, i.e. a 39 amino acid GLP-1 receptor agonist (see patent paragraph [0014]). The board can agree with the respondent that such peptides would not be considered by the skilled person as "oxyntomodulin" compounds, but rather as an GLP-1 analogue or an exendin-4 analogue having the respective functions and activities of GLP-1 or exendin-40.

11. The board agrees with the respondent that, prima facie, the skilled person would not expect all of the analogues structurally defined in the patent to exhibit the biological activity of oxyntomodulin, and it notes that the appellant has submitted in this context that the claim ought to be construed as encompassing only such oxyntomodulin analogues which also have the biological activity of oxyntomodulin in accordance with the meaning as understood by the skilled person.

12. The respondent has submitted however that the patent in suit failed to disclose what the biological activity of "oxyntomodulin" was and that, in the absence of any reference to relevant prior-art publications, it was not even sure whether or not the skilled person had knowledge of such biological activity and, if it did, what the exact understanding of this term would be.

13. The board concurs with the respondent in that respect and further notes that neither the patent in suit nor the prior art discloses any working examples of actual oxyntomodulin analogues falling within the ambit of the definition provided in the patent in suit which demonstrate the biological activity of oxyntomodulin.

14. The board therefore concludes that for this reason the skilled person seeking to work the invention as claimed was at a loss to identify from the vast and practically innumerable host of OXM analogues structurally defined in the patent as constituting "oxyntomodulin" those compounds which have the biological activity of oxyntomodulin.

15. As to obtaining oxyntomodulin compounds fulfilling the functional feature in claim 1 of being capable of reducing food intake and/or hunger, the board has seen no evidence demonstrating that, at the relevant date of the patent in suit, a skilled person knew which compounds from the host of structurally defined oxyntomodulin analogues these would be. Thus, in order to identify this type of OXM analogue the skilled person has no option other than to test every single analogue individually.

16. In fact, the board agrees with the appellant that post-published document D12, a later patent document from the same applicant and inventors, corroborates that for the skilled person the identification of oxyntomodulin analogues referred to in the claims and capable of reducing food intake and/or hunger constitutes an undue burden when designing analogues falling within the ambit of the definition given in the patent in suit.

17. In particular, as submitted by the respondent, document D12 discloses numerous designed OXM analogues which fail to reduce food intake as required by the claim, and this for designed modifications in the analogues across the whole length of the molecule, whereby significant losses of activity could be caused by changes even at one sole amino acid position (see section X, above). Further OXM analogues failing to reduce food intake were disclosed in post-published document D24 (see page 1715, left-hand column, lines 34 to 35, and page 1718, paragraph bridging the columns) and document D25 (see Table 2).

18. The board concludes from these further considerations that the skilled person is not provided in the patent in suit with any useful guidance or information leading necessarily and directly to successful modification of oxyntomodulin to obtain functional analogues suitable as oxyntomodulin peptides which are able to display the functional feature of being capable of reducing food intake and/or hunger as required by the claim. Therefore, for the same reason it constitutes an undue burden for the skilled person to work the claimed invention.

19. The board therefore concludes that the invention as defined in claim 1 of the main request is not disclosed in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for it to be carried out by a person skilled in the art as required by Article 83 EPC.

Auxiliary requests 1 to 3 - claim 1

20. The oxyntomodulin ingredient of the pharmaceutical composition which is the subject-matter of claim 1 of the main request has been restricted to such analogues having only up to 12 amino acids replaced rather than up to 22 as in the main request. In addition, the ingredient in claim 1 of auxiliary requests 2 and 3 is not to have up to 5 amino acids deleted.

21. With reference to points 5 and 6 above, the board considers that these additional structural limitations on the total host of structurally defined analogues are not sufficient to overcome the reasons why the patent did not disclose the invention as defined in claim 1 of the main request, which therefore also apply to the inventions as defined in claim 1 of these requests.

22. The board therefore concludes that the inventions defined in claim 1 of auxiliary requests 1 to 3 are also not disclosed in a manner sufficiently clear and complete for them to be carried out by a person skilled in the art as required by Article 83 EPC.

Order

For these reasons it is decided that:

The appeal is dismissed.

Footer - Service & support
  • Service & support
    • Website updates
    • Availability of online services
    • FAQ
    • Publications
    • Procedural communications
    • Contact us
    • Subscription centre
    • Official holidays
    • Glossary
Footer - More links
  • Jobs & careers
  • Press centre
  • Single Access Portal
  • Procurement
  • Boards of Appeal
Facebook
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
Instagram
EuropeanPatentOffice
Linkedin
European Patent Office
EPO Jobs
EPO Procurement
X (formerly Twitter)
EPOorg
EPOjobs
Youtube
TheEPO
Footer
  • Legal notice
  • Terms of use
  • Data protection and privacy
  • Accessibility