European Patent Office

T 0039/88 (Micro-organisms) of 15.11.1988

European Case Law Identifier
ECLI:EP:BA:1988:T003988.19881115
Date of decision
15 November 1988
Case number
T 0039/88
Petition for review of
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Application number
83110649.7
IPC class
C12B 7/25
Language of proceedings
English
Distribution
Published in the EPO's Official Journal (A)
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
CPC
Opponent name
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Board
3.3.02
Headnote

There may be a deficiency in complying with Rule 28 EPC when the deposit of a culture of a micro-organism, originally made under other legislation, was not converted into a deposit under Rule 28 EPC or the Budapest Treaty before the filing of a European patent application. Nevertheless, due to the lack of clarity which was inherent in the system of deposits under Rule 28 in that respect, it is not justified to refuse, on this sole ground, a European patent application filed before the publication of the clarifying notice of the EPO dated 18 July 1986 concerning patent applications and European patents in which reference is made to micro-organisms (OJ EPO 1986, 269) (cf. points 4-6 of the reasons).

Keywords
Micro-organisms - deficiency in deposit
Micro-organisms - conversion of ATCC-deposit
Catchword
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Cited cases
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Citing cases
T 0142/93T 2068/11

ORDER

7. It follows from these considerations that the decision under appeal has to be set aside. ...