Gold Standard for Novelty of Subranges

Gold Standard for Novelty of Subranges

Background Historically (pre-2019), a subrange was considered novel over the prior art if the following criteria were met (T198/84 and T279/89): a) The selected subrange is narrower than the known range; b) The selected subrange is sufficiently far removed from any...
Videoconferencing becomes the norm at the EPO

Videoconferencing becomes the norm at the EPO

Background In 2019, the European Patent Office (EPO) set out its Strategic Plan 2023, detailing a series of proposed updates and reforms to its working practices, including changes to its IT systems. At that time, nobody could have predicted just how quickly the EPO...