1. Patent protection for technical inventions

The four essential preconditions governing the patentability of inventions under the EPC are laid down in Art. 52(1) EPC, which reads: "European patents shall be granted for any inventions, in all fields of technology, provided that they are new, involve an inventive step and are susceptible of industrial application."

Article 52(1) EPC expresses the fundamental principle of a general entitlement to patent protection for any invention in all technical fields (see G 5/83, OJ 1985, 64, point 21 et seq. of the Reasons; G 1/98, OJ 2000, 111, point 3.9 of the Reasons; G 1/03, OJ 2004, 413, point 2.2.2 of the Reasons; G 1/04, OJ 2006, 334, point 6 of the Reasons; T 154/04; OJ 2008, 46, 62, point 6 of the Reasons). Any limitation to the general entitlement to patent protection is thus not a matter of administrative or judicial discretion, but must have a clear legal basis in the EPC (see G 2/12, of 25 March 2015, OJ 2016, A28; T 154/04).