The law is actually very clear about the circumstances under which applicants may still change the claimed scope of protection of an application in the course of a grant procedure. But there are always exceptions, and the Appeal Boards of the European Patent Office have in the past handed down different decisions. At the end of December, the Enlarged Appeal Board clarified the position in appeal proceedings brought by Merck against a patent to an organic fluorescent diode (File No. G 1/16). The patent had been filed by the universities of Princeton and Southern California.
Representing University of Princeton and University of Southern California:
Maiwald (München): Dr Norbert Hansen, Dr Stefanie Parchmann, Dr Nils Braun, Alexander Ortlieb (all patent attorneys)
Representing Merck:
Isenbruck Bösl Hörschler (Mannheim): Stefan Féaux de Lacroix
Representing BASF:
Isenbruck Bösl Hörschler (Mannheim): Dorothee Hollah
The complete JUVE article can be downloaded under: https://www.juve.de/nachrichten/verfahren/2018/01/disclaimer-streit-us-universitaeten-erstreiten-epa-grundsatzurteil-mit-maiwald
