T 0931/95 (Controlling pension benefits system/PBS PARTNERSHIP) of 8.9.2000

European Case Law Identifier: ECLI:EP:BA:2000:T093195.20000908
Date of decision: 08 September 2000
Case number: T 0931/95
Application number: 88302239.4
IPC class: G06F 15/30
Language of proceedings: EN
Distribution: A
Download and more information:
Decision text in EN (PDF, 884 KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in: EN
Versions: OJ | Published
Title of application: Improved pension benefits system
Applicant name: Pension Benefit Systems Partnership
Opponent name: -
Board: 3.5.01
Headnote: 1. Having technical character is an implicit requirement of the EPC to be met by an invention in order to be an invention within the meaning of Article 52(1)EPC. (following decisions T 1173/97 and T 935/97)
2. Methods only involving economic concepts and practices of doing business are not inventions within the meaning of Article 52(1) EPC. A feature of a method which concerns the use of technical means for a purely non-technical purpose and/or for processing purely non-technical information does not necessarily confer a technical character to such a method.
3. An apparatus constituting a physical entity or concrete product, suitable for performing or supporting an economic activity, is an invention within the meaning of Article 52(1) EPC.
4. There is no basis in the EPC for distinguishing between "new features" of an invention and features of that invention which are known from the prior art when examining whether the invention concerned may be considered to be an invention within the meaning of Article 52(1) EPC. Thus there is no basis in the EPC for applying this so-called contribution approach for this purpose. (following decisions T 1173/97 and T 935/97)
Relevant legal provisions:
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 52(1)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 52(2)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 52(2)(c)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 52(3)
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 56
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 84
Guidelines for examination in the EPO C-IV, 1(1)
Guidelines for examination in the EPO C-IV, 1(2)
Guidelines for examination in the EPO C-IV, 2(2)
Keywords: Exclusion from patentability: of schemes, rules and methods for doing business (yes) - of apparatus constituting a physical entity for carrying out such method (no)
Catchwords:

-

Cited decisions:
T 0208/84
T 0769/92
T 1002/92
T 0935/97
T 1173/97
Citing decisions:
G 0003/08
T 0060/98
T 0310/99
T 1001/99
T 0641/00
T 0113/02
T 0553/02
T 0619/02
T 0764/02
T 0914/02
T 1121/02
T 0172/03
T 0258/03
T 0531/03
T 0125/04
T 0154/04
T 0387/04
T 1161/04
T 1242/04
T 0365/05
T 0920/05
T 1227/05
T 0116/06
T 0421/06
T 0756/06
T 0784/06
T 1543/06
T 1044/07
T 1406/07
T 1456/07
T 1547/09
T 1225/10
T 2258/10
T 0188/12
T 1461/12
T 0426/16

Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/t950931ex1.html

Date retrieved: 17 May 2021

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