The European Patent Office allows for two administrative processes by which granted claims may be modified in scope.  In both cases, prior art found in the non-patent literature can be used to persuade the Office that original claims are unjustified, and need to be amended.  A study of the relative proportion of patent to non-patent literature cited during these proceedings illustrates the importance of non-patent literature as part of the state of the art.  If adequate searches are done in the non-patent literature, either by the applicant prior to filing or the examining office during prosecution, it can lead to better quality granted patents which are able to stand up to subsequent challenges.

Non-patent literature citations in EPO opposition and limitation proceedings

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.