Patent decision

BL number
O/338/07
Concerning rights in
GB2356145B
Hearing Officer
Mr S Probert
Decision date
14 November 2007
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Vibriant Technology Services Ltd v Protex Healthcare UK Ltd
Provisions discussed
Sections 2, 3, 72
Keywords
Inventive step, Novelty, Revocation
Related Decisions
None

Summary

The patent relates to a wound dressing. The claimant alleged that the patent was invalid through prior use, and would in any case have lacked an inventive step. The inventor gave evidence for the claimant that he had made the invention available to the public before applying for the patent.

The Hearing Officer held, on the balance of probabilities, that the invention had been made available to the public, and revoked the patent for lack of novelty. He rejected the allegation of obviousness.

Full decision O/338/07 PDF document65Kb