European Patent Office

T 0083/05 (Broccoli/PLANT BIOSCIENCE) du 22.05.2007

Identifiant européen de la jurisprudence
ECLI:EP:BA:2007:T008305.20070522
Date de la décision
22 mai 2007
Numéro de l'affaire
T 0083/05
Requête en révision de
-
Numéro de la demande
99915886.8
Classe de la CIB
A01H 5/10
Langue de la procédure
Anglais
Distribution
Publiées au Journal officiel de l'OEB (A)
Téléchargement
Décision en anglais
Résumés pour cette décision
-
Titre de la demande
Method for selective increase of the anticarcinogenic glucosinolates in Brassica species
Nom du demandeur
Plant Bioscience Limited
Nom de l'opposant
Syngenta Participations AG
Groupe Limagrain Holding
Chambre
3.3.04
Sommaire

The following questions are referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal for decision:

1. Does a non-microbiological process for the production of plants which contains the steps of crossing and selecting plants escape the exclusion of Article 53(b) EPC merely because it contains, as a further step or as part of any of the steps of crossing and selection, an additional feature of a technical nature?

2. If question 1 is answered in the negative, what are the relevant criteria for distinguishing non-microbiological plant production processes excluded from patent protection under Article 53(b) EPC from non-excluded ones? In particular, is it relevant where the essence of the claimed invention lies and/or whether the additional feature of a technical nature contributes something to the claimed invention beyond a trivial level?

Mots-clés
Added subject-matter (no)
Sufficiency of disclosure (yes)
Entitlement to priority (yes)
Novelty (yes)
Inventive step (yes)
Exclusion of essentially biological processes for the production of plants - important point of law - referral of questions to the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Exergue
-

CONCLUSION

67. In view of the above, the board comes to the conclusion that two questions of law as set out in the Order below should be referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal in accordance with Article 112(1)(a) EPC. When formulating the questions, the board has duly taken into account the suggestions made by appellant II (see page 10 of its written submissions of 4 April 2006). However, the questions have been framed more broadly in order to avoid restricting the Enlarged Board in its task of determining the correct interpretation of the process exclusion of Article 53(b) EPC.

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

The following questions are referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal for decision:

1. Does a non-microbiological process for the production of plants which contains the steps of crossing and selecting plants escape the exclusion of Article 53(b) EPC merely because it contains, as a further step or as part of any of the steps of crossing and selection, an additional feature of a technical nature?

2. If question 1 is answered in the negative, what are the relevant criteria for distinguishing non-microbiological plant production processes excluded from patent protection under Article 53(b) EPC from non-excluded ones? In particular, is it relevant where the essence of the claimed invention lies and/or whether the additional feature of a technical nature contributes something to the claimed invention beyond a trivial level?