T 0009/00 (Opposition/HENKEL) of 18.12.2001

European Case Law Identifier: ECLI:EP:BA:2001:T000900.20011218
Date of decision: 18 December 2001
Case number: T 0009/00
Application number: 94906172.5
IPC class: A61K 7/42
Language of proceedings: DE
Distribution: A
Download and more information:
Decision text in EN (PDF, 34 KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in: DE | EN | FR
Versions: OJ
Title of application: -
Applicant name: Beiersdorf Aktiengesellschaft
Opponent name: Henkel KGaA
Cognis Deutschland GmbH
Board: 3.3.02
Headnote: A (legal) person who files two different notices of opposition to the same granted patent acquires party status as opponent only once, even if both notices comply with the requirements of Article 99(1) and Rule 55 EPC (see Reasons 2(c)(cc)).
If the later of these oppositions does not entail any change in the legal situation in the opposition proceedings compared to the earlier opposition, the later opposition is inadmissible for lack of a general legitimate interest.
A general legitimate interest cannot be inferrred from the fact that the later opposition is assigned to a different part of a company to the earlier opposition and only that part of the company is being transferred to a third party.
If, as in the present case, the subject of an opposition is assigned to two different parts of the opponent's company, the status of opponent can pass to a third party only if both parts or the entire company are transferred to it.
Relevant legal provisions:
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 99(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 99(4)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 106(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 107
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 108
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 111(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 113(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 55
European Patent Convention 1973 R 56(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 56(3)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 64(b)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 67
European Patent Convention 1973 R 68(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 70(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 70(2)
Keywords: Entitlement to appeal, double filing of opposition by same person, transfer of opponent status
Catchwords:

-

Cited decisions:
G 0004/88
G 0009/91
Citing decisions:
G 0002/04
J 0007/08
T 0837/01
T 0966/02
T 1091/02
T 0261/03
T 0307/03
T 0774/05
T 1982/09
T 2461/10
T 0854/12
T 1415/16
T 1839/18

22 references found.

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EPO Guidelines - D Opposition and Limitation/Revocation Procedures

Offical Journal of the EPO

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

Case Law Book: III Amendments

Case Law Book: IV Divisional Applications

Case Law of the Enlarged Board

General Case Law