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European Patent Organisation (EPO)

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G 3/19 Date of Judgment May 14, 2020 Issuing Authority Boards of Appeal: Enlarged Board of Appeal Level of the Issuing Authority Final Instance Type of Procedure Judicial (Administrative) Subject Matter Patents (Inventions) Keywords
Referred point of law re-phrased (yes), Uniform application of the law (yes), Point of law of fundamental importance (yes), Different decisions by two Boards of Appeal (yes), Application of Article 112(1)(b) EPC by analogy (no), Rules of interpretation, Hierarchy of norms, Dynamic interpretation of Article 53(b) EPC (yes), Impact of Rule 28(2) EPC on interpretation of Article 53(b) EPC (yes), Admissibility of referral by the President of the European Patent Office (yes, after re-phrasing), Conflicting provisions (no of laws)
Judgment/Decision English G 3/19  PDF Relevant Legislation
Other Relevant Legislation or Treaty
European Patent Convention 1973, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, Treaty of the European Union, consolidated version 2016, Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions, Austria Patentgesetz 1970, Belgium Code de droit économique - Dispositions relatives au droit d’obtenteur 2013 (2019), Germany Patentgesetz 1936, France Code de la propriété intellectuelle, France Loi n° 2016-1087 du 8 août 2016 pour la reconquête de la biodiversité, de la nature et des paysages, Italy Codice della proprieta' industriale (IIPC) 2005, The Netherlands Rijksoctrooiwet 1995, Norway Lov om patenter (patentloven) 1967 nr 9), Norway examination guidelines of the Norwegian Intellectual Property Office, Poland Ustawa z dnia 30 czerwca 2000 r. Prawo własności przemysłowej, Poland z dnia 16 października 2019 r. o zmianie ustawy – Prawo własności przemysłowej, Portugal Código da Propriedade Industrial 2018, Serbia: Закон о патентима („Службени гласник РС”, бр. 99/11, 113/17-др. закон, 95/18 и 66/19)
Relevant Treaties WIPO Lex No. EPO005-j