T 0205/83 (Vinyl ester/crotonic acid copolymers) of 25.06.1985
- European Case Law Identifier
- ECLI:EP:BA:1985:T020583.19850625
- Date of decision
- 25 June 1985
- Case number
- T 0205/83
- Petition for review of
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- Application number
- 78101239.8
- IPC class
- -
- Language of proceedings
- German
- Distribution
- Published in the EPO's Official Journal (A)
- Download
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- Other decisions for this case
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- Abstracts for this decision
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- Application title
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- Applicant name
- Hoechst
- Opponent name
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- Board
- 3.3.01
- Headnote
1. The polymer product of a known chemical process is not new automatically as a result of the said process being modified.
2. If such a chemical product cannot be defined by structural characteristics (substance parameters) but only by its method of manufacture (process parameters), novelty can be established only if evidence is provided that modification of the process parameters results in other products. It is sufficient for this purpose if it is shown that distinct differences exist in the properties of the products.
3. This evidence may not include properties which cannot be due to the product's substance parameters (in this case, absence of monomer impurities with an unwanted odour).
- Relevant legal provisions
- European Patent Convention Art 54 1973European Patent Convention Art 56 1973
- Keywords
- Novelty of a polymer product defined only by process parameters
Removal of unexpected impurities/measures not featured in state of art
Inventive step - process parameters
Inventive step - substance parameters - Catchword
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- Cited cases
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- Citing cases
- T 0280/88T 0175/89T 0073/92T 0223/92T 0124/93T 0333/93T 0412/93T 0659/93T 0815/93T 0151/95T 0666/97T 1144/97T 1145/97T 0728/98T 0375/99T 0100/00T 0360/00T 0363/00T 0784/00T 0713/01T 0803/01T 0564/02T 0982/02T 0996/02T 0179/03T 0394/03T 1247/03T 0359/04T 0884/04T 1103/05T 0046/06T 0079/06T 2195/09T 0137/10T 2043/12T 2592/12T 2443/16T 2597/17T 1884/19T 2295/19T 2163/22
ORDER
For these reasons, it is decided that:
1. The decision appealed against is set aside.
2. The case is remitted to the authority of first instance with the instruction that the European patent be maintained in amended form without Claim 4.