Novelty — Current trends in the jurisprudence of the boards of appeal of the European patent office

This article examines the development of the concept of novelty through the Decisions of the Boards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO), with particular emphasis on so-called overlap and selection inventions in the field of chemistry. While it is clear that the evolution of the concept of novelty is an ongoing process, the Decisions of the EPO Boards of Appeal, particularly some recent cases, have clearly indicated the current trends and have also given some signs as to the direction this evolution is likely to take in the future.