Friday, June 19, 2015 R 6/14 - "The minutes clearly indicate that there were no further requests"

In this petition for review (in German), the appellant (proprietor in opposition appeal against the decision to revoke the patent) argued that his right to be heard on auxiliary requests was violated. The minutes of the oral proceedings indicated that the appellant had withdrawn all requests that were submitted in the written procedure, including the request to maintain the patent as granted. Earlier filed first auxiliary request was maintained as main request. The minutes further indicated that, during further discussion of the factual and legal framework of the appeal, the appellant filed a reformulation of the earlier filed first auxiliary request with handwritten additions, and requested to maintain the patent in amended form according to this "first auxiliary request with handwritten additions", or according to earlier filed aux 4 and aux 7 (current aux 1 and 2) with "the same handwritten additions". All earlier requests were withdrawn. After the chairman asked whether the appellant wanted to filed more requests or remarks, the appellant indicated he did not wish to do so. The chairman subsequently called the debate closed, and, after deliberation, the Board rejected the petition as the claims with the handwritten additions were not prima facie clear. The written decision indicated that the Board exercised its discretion under Art 12(4) and 13(1) RPBA to not admit any of the lastly submitted request into the procedure, so that no requests were pending.

In the petition for review, the appellant submitted that his right to be heard as to the exact formulation of the claims of aux 4 and aux 7 with "the same handwritten additions" was violated, and that the decision was based on an indication about the direction into which the actual amendments would be directed, but that no concrete claim formulation had been submitted yet as reformulations of aux 4 and aux 7 with "the same handwritten additions". The appellant further submitted, in response to a communication of the Enlarged Board, that the minutes did not contain all details as to how the dialogue between the appellant and the Board had taken place.

The Enlarged Board concluded, in a 3-member composition, that the petition was not clearly not inadmissible, but was clearly not allowable, as the minutes clearly indicated what the appellant's request were and that the appellant has no further requests (reason 5-6 and 8), and because the appellant had not immediately challenged the accurateness of the minutes after its notification (reason 7 and 11).

The request for revision was rejected.