【個人メモ】
“disclaimers”：一般的には、先行技術に記載された実施例部分を「除く」ことを目的として、クレームに記載される否定的表現。当該否定的表現は、当該出願当初の開示にはないもの。
・審決T323/97（２００１年）：出願内容に根拠のない”disclaimers”は、EPC123(2)に反する。
・G1/03,G2/03（２００４年）：disclaimer、およびdisclaimerによって除かれた発明主題のいずれもが、出願内容に根拠をもたないとしても、それのみによってdisclaimerは拒絶されない。（従来のEP実務を追認）
出願内容に根拠のない”disclaimers”が認められる条件・基準などは、以下の通り（Enlarged Board of Appealの見解）。
Headnote:
1. An amendment to a claim by the introduction of a disclaimer may not be refused under Article 123(2) EPC for the sole reason that neither the disclaimer nor the subject-matter excluded by it from the scope of the claim have a basis in the application as filed.
2. The following criteria are to be applied for assessing the allowability of a disclaimer which is not disclosed in the application as filed:
2.1 A disclaimer may be allowable in order to:
– restore novelty by delimiting a claim against state of the art under Article 54(3) and (4) EPC;
– restore novelty by delimiting a claim against an accidental anticipation under Article 54(2) EPC; an anticipation is accidental if it is so unrelated to and remote from the claimed invention that the person skilled in the art would never have taken it into consideration when making the invention; and
– disclaim subject-matter which, under Articles 52 to 57 EPC, is excluded from patentability for nontechnical reasons.
2.2 A disclaimer should not remove more than is necessary either to restore novelty or to disclaim subject-matter excluded from patentability for non-technical reasons.
2.3 A disclaimer which is or becomes relevant for the assessment of inventive step or sufficiency of disclosure adds subject-matter contrary to Article 123(2) EPC.
2.4 A claim containing a disclaimer must meet the requirements of clarity and conciseness of Article 84 EPC.
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弁理士TY
