DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Effective Defence of EPO Patent Applications 2018" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
Clarity in drafting patent applications has always been a serious issue: Complete clarity is required to distinguish the subject-matter of a claim from prior art, and an unclear claim can be interpreted to the disadvantage of the applicant or proprietor.
The problem/solution' approach is not officially part of the EPC, but is a criterion which has been developed by case law. It is now is hard to find a decision of the Boards of Appeal which do not rely on the problem/solution approach in order to decide upon inventive step. It looks easy, but when applied, it should be applied correctly. This is not just a formal matter, but a substantial issue of first importance.
The purpose of this seminar is to teach delegates the essentials of clarity, and the most effective use of the problem/solution approach, giving them an edge over other parties.
Who Should Attend:
- Qualified European patent attorneys
- Patent attorneys in private practice
- Corporate patent attorneys and lawyers
- People working or training in intellectual property
- US attorneys working in Europe
- Trainee patent attorneys
- EQE Candidates
Agenda:
Understanding the implications of clarity of claims - Article 84
- Definition of clarity - Art 84
- Categories and types of claims
- Practical definition of clarity - clear means
- Conciseness and support by description
- Form and content of claims
- Clarity vs. novelty
- Structural vs. functional features
Understanding the implications of clarity of claims - Article 84 continued
- Comprising vs. consisting
- The interplay between Art 83, 84 and 56
- Relative terms
- Inventions defined by parameters
- Definition by result to be achieved
- Sources of difficulties with Article 84 - illustrating case law
- Clarity of claims in opposition procedure
- Application of G 3/14 to amended claims
- Adaptation of the description
Practical workshop: Exercises to exemplify the concepts learnt
Inventive step and how to master the problem-solution approach - Article 56
- Legal definition
- State of the art
- Obvious
- Problem-solution approach - identifying the nearest/closest prior art
- Formulating the objective technical problem
Inventive step and how to master the problem-solution approach - Article 56 continued
- Does the claimed subject matter solve the objective problem?
- Partial problems
- Aggregation/juxtaposition
- Mix of technical and non-technical features
- Deciding on inventive step and positive pointers
Practical workshop: Exercises to exemplify the concepts learnt
Latest case law and its implications for defending your EPO patent applications
- Notable decisions on inventive step
For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/qf8knw/one_day_seminar?w=4