以前の投稿で、7月1日から特許出願では核酸やアミノ酸の配列リストについて新しい規格が適用されます。こちらはWIPO加盟国に適用されるため、グローバルで7月1日の出願から適用がされていくことになります。
内容を知りたい方は下記もご参照ください。
www.patent-topics-explorer.com
欧州は、優先権・分割出願・新規事項等の条件が非常に厳しいことが知られていますが、The Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi)から、「Paper Submitted by epi concerning new WIPO Standard ST.26 on sequence listings」というレポートが公開されています。
epiから指摘された問題点は今後の参考になる情報が指摘されているので、メモ。
(1)優先権への影響
例えば、基礎出願がST25配列表で出願され、基礎出願の優先権を主張する後の出願がST26配列表で出願された場合、欧州特許条約の厳しい要件の下では、優先権の有効性に影響を及ぼす可能性があるかもしれません。
There is no transitional period. The new ST.26 comes into force on 1st July 2022. This applies to all EP applications with an International or European filing date after then, even where an earlier related application has been filed using ST.25. For example, a National patent application could have been validly filed using ST.25, and then a European patent application, filed after 1st July and claiming priority, would require a ST.26 version. Likewise, a priority-setting European patent application filed before 1st July would have a sequence listing in ST.25 format while the subsequent priority-claiming European patent application filed after 1st July would require an ST.26-compliant sequence listing. This places an added burden on applicants, particularly in order to avoid affecting the validity of the claim to priority (notably under the EPO’s strict interpretation of priority).
(2)分割出願などへの新規事項追加
ST26はST25に比べて詳細な核酸やアミノ酸配列の情報を要求しています。このことから新規事項追加を指摘されるリスクがあるそうです。
In addition to the general aim of reducing burden on applicants, we have serious concerns about the potential for ST.26 sequence listings filed for divisional applications (when the parent case had been filed before 1st July 2022) to add matter. Such added matter problems will be impossible to remedy. This is because ST.26, by definition, requires more information than ST.25. By requiring more information, the danger is that filing an ST.26 listing will, inherently, add matter. That is an immediate and obvious consequence of ST.26 demanding more information.
