T 0588/99 (Liquid detergents/PROCTER & GAMBLE) of 27.3.2003

European Case Law Identifier:

ECLI:EP:BA:2003:T058899.20030327

Date of decision:

27 March 2003

Case number:

T 0588/99

Application number:

92870122.6

IPC class:

C11D 3/386

Language of proceedings:

Distribution:

Download and more information:

Decision text in EN (PDF, 40Â KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in:	EN
Versions:	Unpublished

Title of application:

Liquid detergents containing a peptide trifluoromethyl ketone

Applicant name:

THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY

Opponent name:

Unilever N.V.

Board:

3.3.06

Headnote:

Relevant legal provisions:

European Patent Convention 1973 Art 56

Keywords:

Inventive step (no)

Catchwords:

In the particular situation where a document explicitly defines any compound having a certain activity as suitable component of a detergent composition and urges the person skilled in the art to look for such compounds in publications of other technical fields, such as biochemistry and medicine, it requires no inventive activity to solve the technical problem of providing an alternative to the compositions disclosed in this prior art by replacing therein the explicitly specified compounds having said activity with any other of such compounds which may be found by exploring said other technical fields (see points 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 of the Reasons of the Decision).

Cited decisions:

T 0400/98

Citing decisions:

Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/case-law-appeals/recent/t990588eu1.html

Date retrieved: 17 May 2021