Inventive step

The inventive step is a patentability requirement present in most European patent laws, for instance in Germany, in the United Kingdom and under the European Patent Convention (EPC). It corresponds more or less to the non-obviousness requirement of the U.S. patent law.

Related Topics:
Patentability - European patent law - Germany - United Kingdom - European Patent Convention - Non-obviousness - U.S. patent law

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The assessment of the inventive step varies from one country to another. For instance, the practice of the European Patent Office (EPO) differs from the practice in the United Kingdom.

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Pursuant to the Article 52(1) in conjunction with Article 56, first sentence, EPC, European patents shall be granted for inventions which inter alia involve an inventive step, that is, the invention, having regard to the state of the art, must not be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

Related Topics:
Invention - Inter alia - State of the art - Person skilled in the art

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