Source: http://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/guidelines/e/h_iv_3_7.htm
Timestamp: 2013-05-21 14:51:28
Document Index: 520462367

Matched Legal Cases: ['Art. 123', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 53', 'Art. 53', 'Art. 123', 'Art. 53', 'Art. 123']

H-IV, 3.7 Conflicts between Art. 123(3) and other requirements of the EPC - Guidelines for Examination
Chapter IV – Allowability of amendments - Art. 123(2) and Art. 123(3)
3. Allowability of amendments under Art. 123(3)
3.7 Conflicts between Art. 123(3) and other requirements of the EPC
3.7Conflicts between Art. 123(3) and other requirements of the EPC
Other requirements of the EPC may also interact with Art. 123(3) after grant. For instance, if a patent as granted only contains claims that in fact define a "method for treatment of the human or animal body by therapy or surgery practised on the human or animal body" or contain such a method step, and such a patent is opposed under Art. 53(c), then Art. 53(c) and Art. 123(3) may operate in combination so that the patent must inevitably be revoked, in that:
–the patent cannot be maintained as granted because its claims define subject-matter which is excluded from patentability under Art. 53(c); and
–the patent cannot be maintained in amended form because amendment of the claims as granted by deletion of such "method features" would be contrary to Art. 123(3) (see T 82/93).