G 0001/98 (Transgenic plant/NOVARTIS II) du 20.12.1999

Identifiant européen de la jurisprudence

ECLI:EP:BA:1999:G000198.19991220

Date de la décision

20 décembre 1999

Numéro de l'affaire

G 0001/98

Requête en révision de

T 1054/96 1997-10-13

Numéro de la demande

91810144.5

Classe de la CIB

A01N 63/00

Langue de la procédure

Anglais

Distribution

Publiées au Journal officiel de l'OEB (A)

Téléchargement

Décision en anglais

Versions JO

Autres décisions pour cet affaire

Résumés pour cette décision

Titre de la demande

Anti-pathogenically effective compositions comprising lytic peptides and hydrolytic enzymes

Nom du demandeur

Novartis AG

Nom de l'opposant

Chambre

Sommaire

I. A claim wherein specific plant varieties are not individually claimed is not excluded from patentability under Article 53(b), EPC even though it may embrace plant varieties.

II. When a claim to a process for the production of a plant variety is examined, Article 64(2) EPC is not to be taken into consideration.

III. The exception to patentability in Article 53(b), 1st half-sentence, EPC applies to plant varieties irrespective of the way in which they were produced. Therefore, plant varieties containing genes introduced into an ancestral plant by recombinant gene technology are excluded from patentability.

Dispositions juridiques pertinentes

European Patent Convention Art 52 1973 European Patent Convention Art 53(b) 1973 European Patent Convention Art 54 1973 European Patent Convention Art 64(2) 1973 European Patent Convention R 23b 1973Strasbourg_Patent_Convention_Art_002(b)UPOV_Convention_1961_Art_002UPOV_Convention_1991_Art_001(vi)

Mots-clés

Claims comprising but not identifying plant varieties
Plant varieties as products of recombinant gene technology
Article 64(2) EPC not relevant for examination of product claims

Exergue

Affaires citées

G 0005/83 T 0049/83 T 0292/85 T 0320/87 T 0361/87 T 0019/90 T 0356/93

Affaires citantes

G 0001/07 G 0002/07 G 0001/08 G 0002/12 G 0002/13 G 0003/19 J 0002/01 T 0380/94 T 1054/96 T 0903/97 T 0149/98 T 0098/00 T 0103/00 T 0274/00 T 0025/01 T 0179/01 T 0475/01 T 0866/01 T 0315/03 T 0992/03 T 1020/03 T 0154/04 T 0200/04 T 1262/04 T 1374/04 T 0083/05 T 1213/05 T 1242/06 T 1729/06 T 1854/07 T 2006/07 T 2239/08 T 0569/10 T 0915/10 T 2461/10 T 1208/12 T 2420/13 T 0056/21 T 2049/23

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

The questions of law referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal are answered as follows:

1. See answers to questions 2 to 4.

2. A claim wherein specific plant varieties are not individually claimed is not excluded from patentability under Article 53(b) EPC, even though it may embrace plant varieties.

3. When a claim to a process for the production of a plant variety is examined, Article 64(2) EPC is not to be taken into consideration.

4. The exception to patentability in Article 53(b), 1st half-sentence, EPC applies to plant varieties irrespective of the way in which they were produced. Therefore, plant varieties containing genes introduced into an ancestral plant by recombinant gene technology are excluded from patentability.