Enlarged Board on Appeal EPO, 18 june 2025: claim interpretation when assessing patentability: different from scope of protection.

Claim interpretation when assessing patentability of an invention under Articles 52 to 57 EPC. 

Neither Article 69 EPC and the Protocol nor Article 84 EPC are entirely satisfactory as a basis for claim interpretation when assessing patentability, but can be applied by analogy. 

The claims are the starting point and the basis for assessing the patentability of an invention under Articles 52 to 57 EPC. 

The description and drawings shall always be consulted to interpret the claims when assessing the patentability of an invention under Articles 52 to 57 EPC, and not only if the person skilled in the art finds a claim to be unclear or ambiguous when read in isolation. 

IPPT20250618, EBA-EPO, G 1/24, Yunnan Tobacco v Philip Morris