G 0002/10 (Disclaimer/SCRIPPS) of 30.8.2011

European Case Law Identifier:

ECLI:EP:BA:2011:G000210.20110830

Date of decision:

30 August 2011

Case number:

G 0002/10

Referral:

Application number:

IPC class:

Language of proceedings:

EN

Distribution:

A

Download and more information:

Decision text in EN (PDF, 230Â KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in:	EN
Versions:	OJ \| Published

Title of application:

Enzymatic DNA molecules

Applicant name:

THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Opponent name:

-

Board:

EBA

Headnote:

The question referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal is answered as follows:
1a. An amendment to a claim by the introduction of a disclaimer disclaiming from it subject-matter disclosed in the application as filed infringes Article 123(2) EPC if the subject-matter remaining in the claim after the introduction of the disclaimer is not, be it explicitly or implicitly, directly and unambiguously disclosed to the skilled person using common general knowledge, in the application as filed.
1b. Determining whether or not that is the case requires a technical assessment of the overall technical circumstances of the individual case under consideration, taking into account the nature and extent of the disclosure in the application as filed, the nature and extent of the disclaimed subject-matter and its relationship with the subject-matter remaining in the claim after the amendment.

Relevant legal provisions:

European Patent Convention Art 54(2)
European Patent Convention Art 54(3)
European Patent Convention Art 56
European Patent Convention Art 61(1)(b)
European Patent Convention Art 76(1)
European Patent Convention Art 83
European Patent Convention Art 84
European Patent Convention Art 87(1)
European Patent Convention Art 123(2)
European Patent Convention Art 123(3)
Napp Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd v. Ratiopharm GmbH and Sandoz Ltd, Court of Appeal (England and Wales), [2009] EWCA Civ 252
Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals B.V. v. Sandoz B.V., District Court of The Hague of 7 April 2010, case no. 340373/09-2029

Keywords:

Admissibility of referral (yes)
Construction of referred question - term disclaimer - subject-matter instead of embodiment
G 1/03 and G 2/03 relating to disclaimers for disclosed subject-matter (no)
General definition for assessment under Article 123(2) EPC - applicable to disclaimers for disclosed subject-matter (yes)
Point of reference: subject-matter remaining claimed
Technical assessment of overall circumstances of the case required - same test as for positive features
Disclaimed subject-matter disclosed as part of the invention - not relevant
Importance of uniform concept of disclosure and uniform determination of rights derivable therefrom

Catchwords:

-

Cited decisions:

G 0003/89
G 0011/91
G 0001/93
G 0002/98
G 0001/03
G 0002/03
G 0001/05
G 0001/06
G 0001/07
T 0004/80
T 0313/86
T 0170/87
T 0448/93
T 0615/95
T 0323/97
T 0451/99
T 0507/99
T 1050/99
T 1102/00
T 1139/00
T 1107/06

Citing decisions:

G 0002/12
G 0002/13
G 0001/15
G 0001/16
R 0008/13
R 0003/17
R 0006/18
T 1242/06
T 1068/07
T 1170/07
T 0971/08
T 1049/08
T 1870/08
T 1911/08
T 2018/08
T 2165/08
T 0302/09
T 0748/09
T 0964/09
T 1042/09
T 1045/09
T 1157/09
T 1176/09
T 1393/09
T 1447/09
T 1457/09
T 1510/09
T 1779/09
T 2102/09
T 2273/09
T 0112/10
T 0303/10
T 0759/10
T 1100/10
T 1227/10
T 1246/10
T 1280/10
T 1306/10
T 1570/10
T 1643/10
T 1946/10
T 2237/10
T 2287/10
T 2457/10
T 2461/10
T 2464/10
T 2537/10
T 0015/11
T 0074/11
T 0239/11
T 0704/11
T 0831/11
T 0938/11
T 1147/11
T 1151/11
T 1222/11
T 1226/11
T 1229/11
T 1247/11
T 1365/11
T 1651/11
T 1830/11
T 1839/11
T 1840/11
T 2130/11
T 2506/11
T 2561/11
T 2585/11
T 2618/11
T 0046/12
T 0102/12
T 0248/12
T 0336/12
T 0351/12
T 0401/12
T 0442/12
T 0447/12
T 0461/12
T 0562/12
T 0598/12
T 0632/12
T 0831/12
T 1329/12
T 1363/12
T 1436/12
T 1472/12
T 1525/12
T 1580/12
T 1720/12
T 1791/12
T 2043/12
T 2174/12
T 2314/12
T 2599/12
T 0078/13
T 0389/13
T 0557/13
T 0558/13
T 0560/13
T 0589/13
T 0606/13
T 0637/13
T 0802/13
T 0850/13
T 0865/13
T 0872/13
T 0945/13
T 1007/13
T 1085/13
T 1149/13
T 1165/13
T 1267/13
T 1279/13
T 1319/13
T 1441/13
T 1548/13
T 1634/13
T 1678/13
T 1710/13
T 1808/13
T 1825/13
T 1852/13
T 1856/13
T 2002/13
T 2089/13
T 2119/13
T 2415/13
T 2418/13
T 2440/13
T 0060/14
T 0076/14
T 0213/14
T 0318/14
T 0330/14
T 0343/14
T 0437/14
T 0657/14
T 0723/14
T 0894/14
T 1156/14
T 1224/14
T 1308/14
T 1318/14
T 1319/14
T 1458/14
T 1461/14
T 1462/14
T 1718/14
T 1775/14
T 1810/14
T 1856/14
T 1872/14
T 1955/14
T 2046/14
T 2171/14
T 0046/15
T 0137/15
T 0156/15
T 0159/15
T 0262/15
T 0314/15
T 0432/15
T 0437/15
T 0442/15
T 0553/15
T 0588/15
T 0628/15
T 0700/15
T 0734/15
T 0825/15
T 0916/15
T 0959/15
T 1075/15
T 1112/15
T 1141/15
T 1150/15
T 1302/15
T 1354/15
T 1362/15
T 1454/15
T 1469/15
T 1525/15
T 1528/15
T 1629/15
T 1689/15
T 1745/15
T 1757/15
T 2000/15
T 2100/15
T 2115/15
T 2160/15
T 0005/16
T 0085/16
T 0141/16
T 0152/16
T 0189/16
T 0210/16
T 0278/16
T 0344/16
T 0413/16
T 0422/16
T 0703/16
T 0712/16
T 0782/16
T 0784/16
T 0795/16
T 0833/16
T 0838/16
T 0903/16
T 0921/16
T 1076/16
T 1089/16
T 1131/16
T 1189/16
T 1259/16
T 1365/16
T 1375/16
T 1484/16
T 1583/16
T 1666/16
T 1711/16
T 1753/16
T 1781/16
T 1993/16
T 2072/16
T 2351/16
T 2514/16
T 2635/16
T 0004/17
T 0099/17
T 0223/17
T 0304/17
T 0437/17
T 0650/17
T 0853/17
T 0890/17
T 0902/17
T 1071/17
T 1121/17
T 1125/17
T 1438/17
T 1524/17
T 1905/17
T 1962/17
T 2087/17
T 2182/17
T 2524/17
T 2743/17
T 0083/18
T 0149/18
T 0155/18
T 0210/18
T 0317/18
T 0335/18
T 0353/18
T 0363/18
T 0774/18
T 1255/18
T 1556/18
T 1854/18
T 2092/18
T 2842/18
T 0071/19
T 0969/19
T 1081/19
T 2358/19
T 3196/19
T 3272/19

Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/g100002ex1.html

Date retrieved: 17 May 2021

159 references found.

Click X to load a reference inside the current page, click on the title to open in a new page.

EPC Articles

X A.54 EPC Novelty

X A.56 EPC Inventive step

X A.61 EPC European patent applications filed by non-entitled persons

X A.76 EPC European divisional applications

X A.83 EPC Disclosure of the invention

X A.84 EPC Claims

X A.87 EPC Priority right

X A.123 EPC Amendments

EPO Guidelines - F The European Patent Application

X GL F VI 2.2 The same invention

EPO Guidelines - G Patentability

X GL G IV 5.4 Double patenting

EPO Guidelines - H Amendments and Corrections

X GL H IV 2.1 Basic principle

X GL H V 3.1 Replacement or removal of features from a claim

X GL H V 4.2 The subject-matter to be excluded is disclosed in the application as originally filed

Offical Journal of the EPO

X OJ EPO SE 2/2021, p19 - II. PATENT APPLICATION AND AMENDMENTS

X OJ EPO SE 1/2021, p179 - Annex 1 - Index of published decisions of the boards of appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal - (as at 31 December 2020)

X OJ EPO SE 4/2020, p23 - II. PATENT APPLICATION AND AMENDMENTS

X OJ EPO SE 4/2020, p2 - I. PATENTABILITY

X OJ EPO SE 1/2020, p174 - Annex 1 - Index of published decisions of the boards of appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal - (as at 31 December 2019)

X OJ EPO 2020, A104 - Interlocutory Decision of Technical Board of Appeal 3.3.01 dated 7 February 2019 - T 318/14

X OJ EPO SE 1/2019, p158 - XVI. - Index of published decisions of the boards of appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal - (as at 31 December 2018)

X OJ EPO SE 3/2018, p91 - ANNEX 2

X OJ EPO SE 3/2018, p2 - BOARDS OF APPEAL AND ENLARGED BOARD OF APPEAL CASE LAW 2017

X OJ EPO 2018, A70 - Decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal dated 18 December 2017 – G 1/16

X OJ EPO SE 4/2017, p150 - ANNEX 4

X OJ EPO SE 4/2017, p148 - ANNEX 3

X OJ EPO SE 4/2017, p129 - ANNEX 1

X OJ EPO SE 4/2017, p0 - CONTENTS

X OJ EPO SE 3/2017, p1 - ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARDS OF APPEAL OF THE EPO 2016

X OJ EPO 2017, A82 - Decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal dated 29 November 2016 - G 1/15

X OJ EPO 2017, A50 - Interlocutory decision of the Technical Board of Appeal 3.3.09 dated 17 October 2016 - T 437/14

X OJ EPO 2016, A105 - Notice from the European Patent Office dated 29 November 2016 concerning the staying of proceedings due to referral G 1/16

X OJ EPO 2016, A96 - Communication from the Enlarged Board of Appeal concerning case G 1/16

X OJ EPO 2016, A27 - Decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal dated 25 March 2015 - G 2/12

X OJ EPO SE 4/2015, p19 - PART II

X OJ EPO SE 2/2015, p89 - III. CLAIMS

X OJ EPO SE 5/2014, p166 - ANNEX 2

X OJ EPO SE 5/2014, p152 - ANNEX 1

X OJ EPO SE 5/2014, p25 - PART II

Case Law Book: I Patentability

X CLR I C 6.2.4 Achieving a higher degree of purity

Case Law Book: II Conditions to be met by an Application

X CLR II D 3.1.2 ‍‍G 2/98 and the concept of disclosure – interpretation in the same way as for Art. 123(2) EPC

X CLR II E 1.1 General principles

X CLR II E 1.2.1 Description, claims and drawings

X CLR II E 1.3.1 Gold standard: directly and unambiguously derivable

X CLR II E 1.3.2 Standpoint of the skilled person

X CLR II E 1.3.3 Implicit disclosure

X CLR II E 1.3.7 Novelty test

X CLR II E 1.4.4.C Decisions criticising the three-point test

X CLR II E 1.6.3 Deletion of elements from lists – shrinking the lists without singling out a combination of features

X CLR II E 1.7.1 Definition

X CLR II E 1.7.2 Standards for examining disclosed and undisclosed disclaimers

X CLR II E 1.7.2.B Principles established in G 2/10 for disclosed disclaimers

X CLR II E 1.7.2.C Explanations in G 1/16

X CLR II E 1.7.3.B Drafting of disclaimers – disclaimer shall not remove more than is necessary

X CLR II E 1.7.4 Decisions applying the criteria established by the Enlarged Board in G 1/10 – remaining subject-matter test

X CLR II E 1.9 Intermediate generalisations

X CLR II E 1.15 "Comprises", "consists of", "consists essentially of", "contains"

X CLR II E 3.3 Addition to the claim of an undisclosed feature limiting protection conferred, without providing a technical contribution

Case Law Book: V Priority

X CLR V B 2.3.1 General

Case Law of the Enlarged Board

X G 0003/89 (Correction under Rule 88, second sentence, EPC) of 19.11.1992

X G 0011/91 (Glu-Gln) of 19.11.1992

X G 0001/93 (Limiting feature) of 2.2.1994

X G 0002/98 (Requirement for claiming priority of the "same invention") of 31.5.2001

X G 0001/03 (Disclaimer/PPG) of 8.4.2004

X G 0002/03 (Disclaimer/GENETIC SYSTEMS) of 8.4.2004

X G 0001/05 (Exclusion and objection/XXX) of 7.12.2006

X G 0001/06 (Sequences of divisionals/SEIKO) of 28.6.2007

X G 0001/07 (Treatment by surgery/MEDI-PHYSICS) of 15.2.2010

X G 0002/12 () of 25.3.2015

X G 0002/13 () of 25.3.2015

X G 0001/15 () of 29.11.2016

X G 0001/16 (Disclaimer III) of 18.12.2017

General Case Law

X R 0008/13 () of 15.9.2015

X R 0003/17 () of 24.5.2018

X T 0004/80 (Polyether polyols) of 7.9.1981

X T 0313/86 () of 12.1.1988

X T 0170/87 (Hot-gas cooler) of 5.7.1988

X T 0615/95 (Acridinium esters/CIBA CORNING) of 16.12.1997

X T 0323/97 (Disclaimer/UNILEVER) of 17.9.2001

X T 0451/99 (Synthetic antigens/GENETIC SYSTEMS) of 14.3.2003

X T 0507/99 (Disclaimers/PPG) of 20.12.2002

X T 1050/99 (Carbonyl hydrolases/GENENCOR) of 25.1.2005

X T 1102/00 (Mammalian membrane receptors/CNRS) of 1.6.2004

X T 1107/06 (Botulinum toxins/ALLERGAN.) of 3.12.2008

X T 1242/06 (Tomatoes II/STATE OF ISRAEL) of 31.5.2012

X T 1068/07 (Enzymatic DNA/SCRIPPS) of 25.6.2010

X T 1170/07 (Tethrahydrolipstatin for treating NIDDM/F. HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE AG) of 13.3.2012

X T 0971/08 () of 10.1.2012

X T 1870/08 () of 13.3.2012

X T 1911/08 (NMDA/NR2B Antagonists/MERCK SHARP & DOHME) of 31.1.2012

X T 2165/08 (Bi-cyclic nucleoside analogues/EXIQON) of 6.3.2013

X T 1045/09 () of 17.1.2014

X T 1457/09 (CTL epitopes of WT-1/GANYMED PHARMACEUTICALS) of 17.1.2014

X T 1779/09 (Function key for data handling/ARENDI) of 21.5.2014

X T 2273/09 (CXCR4 inhibition for inhibiting vascularization/CHUGAI) of 19.11.2014

X T 0112/10 (BICARBONATE-BASED SOLUTION IN TWO PARTS FOR PERITONEAL DIALYSIS OR AS … of 18.9.2014

X T 0759/10 () of 22.3.2012

X T 1100/10 (Detergent Bacillus lentus subtilisin protease egg stains/BASF) of 18.3.2014

X T 1227/10 (Flue gas cleaning process/BELCO) of 19.10.2012

X T 1246/10 () of 31.3.2015

X T 1306/10 () of 17.3.2015

X T 1643/10 (Bus architecture/RAMBUS) of 26.11.2014

X T 1946/10 () of 18.6.2014

X T 2461/10 (MAT-MolekÃ¼le/BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM VETMEDICA) of 26.3.2014

X T 2537/10 () of 11.11.2014

X T 0831/11 (Service tracking/HUAWEI) of 24.6.2014

X T 0938/11 () of 8.12.2015

X T 1222/11 () of 4.12.2012

X T 1830/11 () of 29.7.2015

X T 1839/11 () of 29.6.2012

X T 1840/11 () of 13.11.2015

X T 2130/11 () of 2.12.2014

X T 2561/11 () of 4.7.2016

X T 0248/12 () of 5.3.2013

X T 0351/12 () of 30.5.2017

X T 0401/12 () of 8.11.2017

X T 0442/12 () of 12.4.2016

X T 0598/12 (Tablets comprising ethinylestradiol and drospirenone) of 5.11.2013

X T 0632/12 (LDPC code parity-check matrix/GOOGLE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS) of 7.6.2017

X T 1363/12 () of 12.12.2014

X T 1436/12 (Platform system/ERICSSON) of 21.7.2015

X T 1791/12 () of 24.3.2015

X T 2599/12 () of 5.5.2017

X T 0389/13 () of 19.9.2017

X T 0557/13 (Partial Priority / Infineum) of 17.7.2015

X T 0558/13 () of 4.11.2013

X T 0560/13 () of 4.11.2013

X T 0802/13 () of 19.3.2018

X T 0872/13 (Factor VII Glycoforms/NOVO NORDISK) of 28.8.2018

X T 1085/13 (Amorphous Lercanidipine Hydrochloride / Recordati) of 9.11.2018

X T 1165/13 () of 26.4.2016

X T 1441/13 (Embryonic stem cells, disclaimer /ASTERIAS) of 9.9.2014

X T 1634/13 () of 25.4.2017

X T 1710/13 (Beschichtung fÃ¼r Biosensoren und Teststreifen/TESA) of 15.1.2015

X T 1808/13 (Neurale VorlÃ¤uferzellen/BRÃSTLE) of 26.2.2015

X T 1825/13 () of 19.9.2016

X T 1852/13 () of 31.1.2017

X T 2002/13 (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus/BECTON DICKINSON) of 17.5.2017

X T 2415/13 () of 6.10.2015

X T 2418/13 () of 29.10.2014

X T 0213/14 () of 24.4.2018

X T 0330/14 () of 28.11.2017

X T 0437/14 () of 17.10.2016

X T 1224/14 (Ciment-colle/PAREXGROUP) of 18.1.2017

X T 1775/14 () of 28.9.2017

X T 1810/14 () of 12.12.2017

X T 2046/14 () of 6.2.2018

X T 2171/14 () of 31.5.2016

X T 0046/15 () of 9.6.2017

X T 0156/15 (Rapid acting compositions/ELI LILLY) of 27.2.2018

X T 0553/15 () of 17.9.2018

X T 0916/15 () of 19.12.2017

X T 1150/15 (Integrase inhibitors/SHIONOGI) of 11.10.2017

X T 1354/15 (RNA interference mediators II/WHITEHEAD INSTITUTE) of 1.3.2018

X T 0152/16 () of 4.12.2017

X T 0703/16 (LSR-Leptin interaction/MERCK SERONO BIODEVELOPMENT) of 6.10.2017

X T 0782/16 (Rivastigmine/NOVARTIS) of 18.7.2017

X T 0903/16 () of 1.3.2018

X T 1259/16 (Glatiramer acetate III/TEVA) of 12.9.2017

X T 2351/16 () of 27.6.2018