Harmonisation in Europe: one step closer

For a proper elucidation of Article 69 the European Patent Convention (EPC), a judge should refer to the protocol on its interpretation: “Article 69 should not be interpreted as meaning that the extent of the protection conferred by a European patent is to be understood as that defined by the strict, literal meaning of the wording used in the claims, the description and drawings being employed only for the purpose of resolving an ambiguity found in the claims.