European Patent Office

T 0830/90 (Secrecy agreement) du 23.07.1993

Identifiant européen de la jurisprudence
ECLI:EP:BA:1993:T083090.19930723
Date de la décision
23 juilliet 1993
Numéro de l'affaire
T 0830/90
En ligne le
3 septembre 1993
Requête en révision de
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Numéro de la demande
85104769.6
Classe de la CIB
B63B 11/02
Langue de la procédure
Allemand
Distribution
Publiées au Journal officiel de l'OEB (A)
Téléchargement
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Autres décisions pour cet affaire
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Résumés pour cette décision
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Titre de la demande
Vorrichtung zum Verfahren von Querwänden auf Schiffen
Nom du demandeur
Macor Marine Systems
Nom de l'opposant
Kvaerner Brug
Chambre
3.2.01
Sommaire

1. A secrecy agreement which rules out availability to the public does not necessarily have to be a contract made in writing.

2. The content of a business meeting is not deemed to have been made available to the public within the meaning of Article 54(2) EPC if the parties concerned understood it to be secret and no breach of secrecy has been established.

3. An understanding of this kind may be reached at a business meeting in the context of a joint technical development if the parties are assumed to have parallel interests and if there is a secrecy proviso agreed verbally and based on a stamp on a drawing.

Mots-clés
Novelty (yes)
Prior public use
Availability to the public ruled out by secrecy agreement between business partners (yes)
Inventive step (yes)
Board's limited duty to examine on the withdrawal of one of the parties from the proceedings
Exergue
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Affaires citées
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ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

1. The contested decision is set aside.

2. The patent is maintained as granted.