European patents shall not be granted in respect of:
(a) inventions the commercial exploitation of which would be contrary to "ordre public" or morality; such exploitation shall not be deemed to be so contrary merely because it is prohibited by law or regulation in some or all of the Contracting States;
(b) plant or animal varieties or essentially biological processes for the production of plants or animals; this provision shall not apply to microbiological processes or the products thereof;
(c) methods for treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy and diagnostic methods practised on the human or animal body; this provision shall not apply to products, in particular substances or compositions, for use in any of these methods.
Notes
- Amended by the Act revising the European Patent Convention of 29.11.2000.
- See decisions/opinion of the Enlarged Board of Appeal G 3/95, G 1/98, G 1/03, G 2/03, G 1/04, G 2/06, G 1/07, G 2/07, G 1/08, G 2/08, G 1/16, G 3/19 (Annex I).