T 0736/95 (Fresh ground of opposition/AMGEN INC.) of 9.10.2000

European Case Law Identifier: ECLI:EP:BA:2000:T073695.20001009
Date of decision: 09 October 2000
Case number: T 0736/95
Application number: 83901979.1
IPC class: C07K 13/00
Language of proceedings: EN
Distribution: A
Download and more information:
Decision text in EN (PDF, 21 KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in: EN
Versions: OJ | Published
Title of application: (Met-1,des-Cys1,des-Tyr2,des-Cys3) human gamma interferon and a DNA sequence encoding it
Applicant name: AMGEN INC.
Opponent name: Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
Board: 3.3.04
Headnote: From the Enlarged Board of Appeal case law, decisions G 10/91 and G 1/95 in particular, and the Guidelines for the examination in the EPO follows that the aim of the patent prosecution to avoid invalid patents comes to the foreground as far as proceedings before the first instance are concerned. By adding that the Enlarged Board of Appeal did not see any reason to change the practice of the first instance, it indicated that the first instance at least needs to examine whether a fresh ground is relevant. Therefore, before declaring it inadmissible, the opposition division should have examined under Article 114(1) EPC whether the ground raised under Article 100(c) EPC could prejudice the maintenance of the patent.
Relevant legal provisions:
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 99(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 100(a)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 100(b)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 100(c)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 114(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 102(3)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 55(c)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 66(1)
Keywords: Admissibility of fresh ground of opposition - relevance
Obligation of opposition division to examine fresh ground of opposition for relevance
Remittal to first instance for further prosecution - yes
Referral to Enlarged Board of Appeal - no
Catchwords:

-

Cited decisions:
G 0010/91
G 0001/95
T 0922/94
Citing decisions:
T 0084/04
T 0179/07
T 1519/08
T 1286/14

12 references found.

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Offical Journal of the EPO

Case Law Book: IV Divisional Applications

Case Law Book: V Priority

Case Law of the Enlarged Board

General Case Law