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United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions
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Bestplate Limited and Hills Numberplates Limited (Patent) [2007] UKIntelP o08407 (26 March 2007)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2007/o08407.html
Cite as:
[2007] UKIntelP o08407,
[2007] UKIntelP o8407
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Bestplate Limited and Hills Numberplates Limited [2007] UKIntelP o08407 (26 March 2007)
For the whole decision click here: o08407
Patent decision
- BL number
- O/084/07
- Concerning rights in
- GB 2 376 437
- Hearing Officer
- Mr P Marchant
- Decision date
- 26 March 2007
- Person(s) or Company(s) involved
- Bestplate Limited and Hills Numberplates Limited
- Provisions discussed
- PA Act 1977 Section 72 (1)(a)
- Keywords
- Revocation
- Related Decisions
- [2005] UKIntelP o06605, [2005] UKIntelP o29305, [2005] UKIntelP o32405, [2006] UKIntelP o13006
Summary
Bestplate Limited sought revocation of Patent Number GB2376437 in the light of prior publication in WO 94/19769 and other prior art. They argued that the method of number plate manufacture, which consisted of printing in reverse on a thin transparent film, and adhering the film to a rigid retro-reflective substrate was obvious, particularly in the light of the extensive common general knowledge and the simple mechanical elements and operations in the claims. Claim 13 was accepted by Hills during the hearing to lack inventive step, but the other independent claims were found to be inventive. Hills were given the opportunity to amend by deleting the invalid claim.