T 0409/91 (Fuel oils) du 18.03.1993

The questions of sufficiency and of support by the description are questions of fact which have to be answered on the basis of the available evidence having regard to the balance of probabilities in each individual case. Although the requirements of sufficient disclosure of the invention (Art. 83 EPC) and support by the description (Art. 84 EPC) are related to different parts of the patent application, they give effect to the same legal principle that the patent monopoly should be justified by the technical contribution to the art. Therefore, the extent to which an invention is sufficiently disclosed is also highly relevant for the answer to the question of support (points 3.3 to 3.5 of the Reasons).