T 0083/05 (Broccoli/PLANT BIOSCIENCE) of 22.5.2007

European Case Law Identifier: ECLI:EP:BA:2007:T008305.20070522
Date of decision: 22 May 2007
Case number: T 0083/05
Decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal: G 0002/07, G 0002/13
Application number: 99915886.8
IPC class: A01H 5/10
Language of proceedings: EN
Distribution: A
Download and more information:
Decision text in EN (PDF, 92 KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in: EN
Versions: OJ | OJ v2 | Unpublished | Unpublished v2 | Published | Published v2
Title of application: Method for selective increase of the anticarcinogenic glucosinolates in Brassica species
Applicant name: Plant Bioscience Limited
Opponent name: Syngenta Participations AG
Groupe Limagrain Holding
Board: 3.3.04
Headnote: The following questions are referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal for decision:
1. Does a non-microbiological process for the production of plants which contains the steps of crossing and selecting plants escape the exclusion of Article 53(b) EPC merely because it contains, as a further step or as part of any of the steps of crossing and selection, an additional feature of a technical nature?
2. If question 1 is answered in the negative, what are the relevant criteria for distinguishing non-microbiological plant production processes excluded from patent protection under Article 53(b) EPC from non-excluded ones? In particular, is it relevant where the essence of the claimed invention lies and/or whether the additional feature of a technical nature contributes something to the claimed invention beyond a trivial level?
Relevant legal provisions:
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 53(b)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 54
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 56
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 83
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 87
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 88
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 100
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 112(1)(a)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 123(2)
European Patent Convention 1973 R 23b(5)
Strasbourg Patent Convention Art 002(b)
Directive 98/44/EC of 6 July 1998 Art 002(2)
Keywords: Added subject-matter (no)
Sufficiency of disclosure (yes)
Entitlement to priority (yes)
Novelty (yes)
Inventive step (yes)
Exclusion of essentially biological processes for the production of plants - important point of law - referral of questions to the Enlarged Board of Appeal
Catchwords:

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Cited decisions:
G 0002/93
G 0001/98
J 0011/91
J 0016/91
T 0320/87
T 0019/90
T 0815/90
T 0576/91
T 0039/93
T 0141/93
T 0356/93
T 0815/93
T 0272/95
T 1054/96
T 0315/03
T 1374/04
Citing decisions:
G 0001/08
G 0003/19
T 1242/06
T 1729/06
T 0915/10

44 references found.

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Offical Journal of the EPO

Case Law Book: I Patentability

Case Law Book: III Amendments

Case Law Book: V Priority

Case Law of the Enlarged Board

General Case Law