CLR III L 1.1 Competence of opposition division or examining division

In T 226/02 the board considered that the opposition division had acted ultra vires in taking a decision under R. 89 EPC 1973 to correct a decision of the examining division. The board held that only the body which had taken a decision was entitled to correct it so as to put it in the form which it had intended it to take. Thus, only the examining division was entitled to correct its own decision. This finding was endorsed by the board in T 1495/09, which held that, in the case at issue, pursuant to R. 140 EPC, the opposition division in opposition proceedings had no competence to correct the decision taken by the examining division and would thus have acted ultra vires if it had corrected the grant decision. The same applied to the board of appeal in opposition-appeal proceedings (Art. 111(1), second sentence, EPC 1973).

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EPC Implementing Rules

Case Law Book: III Amendments

General Case Law