European Patent Office

T 0009/00 (Opposition/HENKEL) du 18.12.2001

Identifiant européen de la jurisprudence
ECLI:EP:BA:2001:T000900.20011218
Date de la décision
18 décembre 2001
Numéro de l'affaire
T 0009/00
En ligne le
3 janvier 2002
Requête en révision de
-
Numéro de la demande
94906172.5
Classe de la CIB
A61K 7/42
Langue de la procédure
Allemand
Distribution
Publiées au Journal officiel de l'OEB (A)
Téléchargement
Décision en anglais
Autres décisions pour cet affaire
-
Résumés pour cette décision
-
Titre de la demande
Wasserfeste kosmetische oder dermatologische Lichtschutzzubereitungen
Nom du demandeur
Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft
Nom de l'opposant
(01) Henkel Kommanditgesellschaft auf Aktien
(02) L'OREAL
(03) Stada-Arzneimittel Aktiengesellschaft
(04) Cognis Deutschland GmbH vormals Henkel KGaA
Chambre
3.3.02
Sommaire

A (legal) person who files two different notices of opposition to the same granted patent acquires party status as opponent only once, even if both notices comply with the requirements of Article 99(1) and Rule 55 EPC (see Reasons 2(c)(cc)).

If the later of these oppositions does not entail any change in the legal situation in the opposition proceedings compared to the earlier opposition, the later opposition is inadmissible for lack of a general legitimate interest.

A general legitimate interest cannot be inferrred from the fact that the later opposition is assigned to a different part of a company to the earlier opposition and only that part of the company is being transferred to a third party.

If, as in the present case, the subject of an opposition is assigned to two different parts of the opponent's company, the status of opponent can pass to a third party only if both parts or the entire company are transferred to it.

Mots-clés
Entitlement to appeal, double filing of opposition by same person, transfer of opponent status
Exergue
-
Affaires citées
G 0004/88G 0009/91

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The impugned decision is set aside.

2. The appeal of appellant 1 is deemed not to have been filed.

3. Opposition 4 filed by appellant 2 is rejected as inadmissible.

4. The request to transfer Henkel KGaA's opposition of 16 March 1999 to Cognis Deutschland GmbH is rejected.