Patent decision

BL number

O/139/08

Concerning rights in

GB2267412C

Hearing Officer

Mr S Probert

Decision date

16 May 2008

Person(s) or Company(s) involved

Conversor Products Ltd

Provisions discussed

Section 72, rule 77

Keywords

Novelty

Related Decisions

O/296/07

Summary

The applicant applied to revoke his own patent on the ground that some of the claims lacked novelty and/or inventive step. No counter-statement was filed. The invention concerned a hearing aid system.

A broadly equivalent EP patent had already been revoked by the EPO for lack of inventive step following a successful opposition. The Hearing Officer found that one of the claims in this GB patent was significantly broader than the broadest claim in the EP patent, and was completely anticipated by prior art. Hence the patent, as it stood, was invalid. As there was no prospect of amendment under section 75, the Hearing Officer revoked the patent.

Full decision O/139/08 70Kb