T 0588/99 (Liquid detergents/PROCTER & GAMBLE) of 27.03.2003
- European Case Law Identifier
- ECLI:EP:BA:2003:T058899.20030327
- Date of decision
- 27 March 2003
- Case number
- T 0588/99
- Petition for review of
- -
- Application number
- 92870122.6
- IPC class
- C11D 3/386
- Language of proceedings
- English
- Distribution
- Distributed to board chairmen and members (B)
- Download
- Decision in English
- OJ versions
- No OJ links found
- Other decisions for this case
- -
- Abstracts for this decision
- -
- Application title
- Liquid detergents containing a peptide trifluoromethyl ketone
- Applicant name
- THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY
- Opponent name
- Unilever N.V.
- Board
- 3.3.06
- Headnote
- -
- Relevant legal provisions
- European Patent Convention Art 56 1973
- Keywords
- Inventive step (no)
- Catchword
- In the particular situation where a document explicitly defines any compound having a certain activity as suitable component of a detergent composition and urges the person skilled in the art to look for such compounds in publications of other technical fields, such as biochemistry and medicine, it requires no inventive activity to solve the technical problem of providing an alternative to the compositions disclosed in this prior art by replacing therein the explicitly specified compounds having said activity with any other of such compounds which may be found by exploring said other technical fields (see points 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 of the Reasons of the Decision).
- Cited cases
- T 0400/98
- Citing cases
- -
ORDER
For these reasons it is decided that:
1. The decision under appeal is set aside.
2. The European patent No. 0 583 535 is revoked.