Case Law of the Boards of AppealOverview
Case Law of the Boards of Appeal
2026 revision
To keep users informed of important BoA case law developments, interim revisions and updates of selected sections of the publication have been introduced in advance of the next full triennial edition. These revisions incorporate decisions issued up to 31 December 2025 and are available in all three of the EPO's official languages. In the HTML version, changes to the relevant webpages are flagged with a notice in the heading.
11th edition / 2026 revision
The "Case Law of the Boards of Appeal" is a comprehensive resource for anyone involved in European patent law.
The revised and expanded 11th edition provides a structured overview of case law, organised by topic and reflecting decisions published up to the end of 2024.
The 2026 revision includes updates to selected chapters, taking into account decisions published up to the end of 2025. Some changes may be editorial in nature. The revised sections are immediately available in the HTML version of the CLB. The revised PDF version will be available very shortly.
Available formats
The "Case Law of the Boards of Appeal" is published in digital format only, in HTML and PDF, and includes links to the cited decisions.
Please refer to the User Guide for further information on how to search and use the "Case Law of the Boards of Appeal" effectively.
HTML version
Optimised for online use and regularly updated, with:
- Quarterly addition of abstracts of selected new decisions in sidebar of relevant sections
- Annual interim reviews of selected chapters ahead of next edition
PDF version
Bookmarked and hyperlinked with full-text search functionality, this version is the best solution for offline browsing.
- Imprint
Published by the Legal Research Service of the Boards of Appeal of the EPO
© 2026 European Patent Office
ISBN 978-3-89605-395-4This publication is available in PDF and HTML format on www.epo.org/case-law
Editorial team
Ian Eveleigh
Marielle PianaAuthors
Isabel Auría Lansac
Sabine Demangue
Ian Eveleigh
Rita Garcia-Bennett
Annemarie Grabrucker
Antoine Robin
Veronika Sadlonova
Carmen Salvador
Jérôme Serre
Judith SoentgenResearch assistants
Chrysavgi Anastasopoulou
Nehir AydenizEditorial assistants
Michèle Meurice
Eva San Miguel
Andrea Urban11th edition, 2026 revision
The 2026 revision includes updates to selected chapters, taking into account decisions published up to the end of 2025. Some changes may be editorial in nature.
Copyright notice
This publication, or parts thereof, may be copied, distributed and transmitted for private use or for the purposes of information and education, provided that the source is acknowledged (© 2026 Legal Research Service of the Boards of Appeal of the EPO or www.epo.org/case-law) and that any such use is free of charge.
Disclaimer
This publication has been prepared by the Legal Research Service of the Boards of Appeal for information only. Although carefully prepared, it cannot be guaranteed that the information it contains is accurate and up-to-date and cannot serve as a substitute for the decisions themselves. The full decisions can be found in the decisions database of the Boards of Appeal website. The original language of the decision is the authoritative version.
Gender-neutral language
Any references to persons made in the “Case Law of the Boards of Appeal” publication are to be understood as being gender-neutral.
- Feedback on this edition
Users are welcome to send suggestions for additions or improvements to [email protected]