European Patent Office

T 0972/21 (Recirculating deviant foodstuff products for batching/MAREL) of 20.09.2024

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:2024:T097221.20240920
Date of decision
20 September 2024
Case number
T 0972/21
Petition for review of
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Application number
16168884.1
Language of proceedings
English
Distribution
No distribution (D)
OJ versions
No OJ links found
Other decisions for this case
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Abstracts for this decision
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Application title
Method and System for Sorting of Foodstuff Items
Applicant name
Marel A/S
Opponent name
Nordischer Maschinenbau
Rud. Baader GmbH + Co. KG
Board
3.4.02
Headnote
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Relevant legal provisions
European Patent Convention Art 100(a)European Patent Convention Art 111(1)European Patent Convention Art 56Rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal 2020 Art 011Rules of procedure of the Boards of Appeal 2020 Art 012(4)
Keywords
Grounds for opposition - inventive step (no)
Amendment to case - amendment within meaning of Art. 12(4) RPBA (yes)
Amendment to case - admitted (yes)
Remittal - special reasons for remittal (yes)
Catchword
In an appeal against the rejection of the opposition the filing of auxiliary requests with the reply to the statement of grounds of appeal leads to essentially the same procedural situation on appeal as the filing of the same auxiliary requests within the time limit of Rule 79(1) EPC. This is a reason in favour of admittance under Article 12(4) RPBA and can represent circumstances justifying their admittance within the meaning of Article 12(6), second sentence, RPBA. See reasons 3.
Cited cases
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Citing cases
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Order

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The decision under appeal is set aside.

2. The case is remitted to the opposition division for further prosecution.