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UPC CFI 280/2025

Apr 8, 2025·EP2649380: ACCESSORY FOR AN EXHAUST VENTILATION PIPE

Case details
Status
Oral Phase
Action
Revocation
Category
Main Revocation Action
Parties
Claimants
Reps: Oskar Ginko (AOMB Polska sp. z o. o.)
Respondents
Reps: Jarkko Tiilikainen (Laine IP Oy); Tatu Ahlskog (Laine IP Oy)
Division
Munich CD
Judges
Technology
Construction · Ventilation Components · HVAC
Language
English
First decided
Oct 10, 2025
Last decision
Apr 8, 2026
Claims
At issue1, 2
Maintained1, 2
Notes: Claim 1 found inventive over D1 alone, D1+CGK, D1+D2, D1+D3, and D1+D4. Claim 2 (dependent) also maintained. Conditional auxiliary requests (amendments) were not examined as the patent was maintained as granted.
Decisions
  • 2026-04-08
    Patent maintainedRevocation meritsRevocation Action

    The revocation action brought by WIRPLAST against EP 2 649 380 B1 (exhaust ventilation pipe with integrated circular spirit level) was dismissed. The Central Division (Section Munich) found that the patent's claimed subject-matter involves an inventive step over prior art documents D1–D4, as the claimant failed to establish that the skilled person would have been motivated to modify the roof fan of D1 to arrive at the claimed invention. The patent is maintained as granted and the claimant must pay 75,000 EUR in costs to the defendant.

    Legal issues:inventive step (Art. 56 EPC)claim interpretation / physical and spatial configuration of feature F4front-loaded procedural system and admissibility of untranslated prior artburden of proof and substantiation in revocation proceedingsmotivation for skilled person to combine prior art documents
  • 2025-10-10
    Revocation Action

    The Central Division Munich (judge-rapporteur Kupecz) issued an order following the interim conference in the Wirplast v Vilpe revocation action concerning EP 2 649 380, permitting the defendant to re-order its auxiliary requests and setting procedural deadlines.

    Legal issues:Interim conference (R. 105.5 RoP)Re-ordering of auxiliary requests
Documents
Document titleDatePublic
Decision2026-04-08Public
action.phaseChange.caseClose2026-04-08Not public
action.issueDecision.decision2026-04-08Not public
Decision2026-04-08Not public
Receipt2026-03-03Not public
Cover sheet2026-03-03Not public
Document2026-03-03Not public
Hearing recording reference document2026-02-26Not public
action.summons.oralHearing2025-11-21Not public
Summons2025-11-21Not public
action.communication.general2025-11-12Not public
Cover sheet2025-11-12Not public
Other document Claimant2025-11-12Not public
Receipt2025-11-12Not public
Cover sheet2025-11-11Not public
Other document Defendant2025-11-11Not public
Receipt2025-11-11Not public
action.communication.general2025-11-10Not public
action.phaseChange.oralPhaseOpen2025-10-31Not public
action.phaseChange.interimPhaseClose2025-10-31Not public
action.summons.oralHearing2025-10-31Not public
Summons2025-10-31Not public
Cover sheet2025-10-23Not public
Other document2025-10-23Not public
Receipt2025-10-23Not public
Cover sheet2025-10-20Not public
Other document2025-10-20Not public
Receipt2025-10-20Not public
Cover sheet2025-10-19Not public
Other document2025-10-19Not public
Other document2025-10-19Not public
Other document2025-10-19Not public
Receipt2025-10-19Not public
action.issueOrder.order2025-10-10Not public
Order2025-10-10Public
action.phaseChange.writtenPhaseClose2025-10-06Not public
Cover sheet2025-09-28Not public
Further pleadings2025-09-28Not public
Exhibit2025-09-28Not public
Receipt2025-09-28Not public
action.communication.interimHearing2025-09-25Not public
Other Documents2025-09-25Not public
Acknowledgement-of-lodging2025-08-29Not public
Defendant’s Rejoinder and Reply2025-08-29Not public
Acknowledgement-of-lodging2025-08-01Not public
US1730193A2025-08-01Not public
Warning letter from Vilpe to Wirplast dated August 17, 20182025-08-01Not public
DE19628251C12025-08-01Not public
reply to the defence to revocation and defence to the application to amend the patent2025-08-01Not public
AU109072B2025-08-01Not public
US925251A2025-08-01Not public
DE29602618U12025-08-01Not public
DE29602618U12025-08-01Not public
DE19628251C12025-08-01Not public
Hearing-Dates2025-07-30Not public
RoP 28 final order2025-07-30Public
Response to Order to confirm availability2025-07-08Not public
Comments pursuant to RoP2642025-07-02Not public
RoP 28 preliminary order2025-07-01Not public
Hearing-Dates2025-07-01Not public
Acknowledgement-of-lodging2025-06-20Not public
Formal-checks_Notification-of-positive-outcome2025-06-20Not public
Annex 52025-06-19Not public
Court letter2025-06-19Not public
Annex 42025-06-19Not public
Annex 82025-06-19Not public
Defence to revocation2025-06-19Not public
Amended defense to revocation - annotated2025-06-19Not public
Annex 102025-06-19Not public
Annex 32025-06-19Not public
Annex 92025-06-19Not public
Amended defense to revocation2025-06-19Not public
Annex 72025-06-19Not public
Annex 22025-06-19Not public
Annex 1 - D1a2025-06-19Not public
Value of the case2025-06-19Not public
Annex 62025-06-19Not public
Formal-checks_Request-for-correction2025-06-18Not public
Acknowledgement-of-lodging2025-06-17Not public
Value of the case2025-06-17Not public
Annex 32025-06-17Not public
Annex 72025-06-17Not public
Annex 52025-06-17Not public
Annex 62025-06-17Not public
Annex 22025-06-17Not public
Annex 1 - D1a2025-06-17Not public
Annex 92025-06-17Not public
Defence to revocation2025-06-17Not public
Annex 102025-06-17Not public
Annex 42025-06-17Not public
Annex 82025-06-17Not public
Notification Of Service2025-04-17Not public
Friendly Mail2025-04-17Not public
Acknowledgement of access to case2025-04-17Not public
Letter-for-Service2025-04-17Not public
Document from EPO2025-04-10Not public
communicationCheck2025-04-10Not public
Document from EPO2025-04-10Not public
Panel-Appointment2025-04-08Not public
EPO-Request-for-case-pending2025-04-08Not public
Acknowledgement-of-lodging2025-04-08Not public
Formal-checks_Notification-of-positive-outcome2025-04-08Not public
Acknowledgement-of-lodging2025-04-08Not public
Application to change data2025-04-08Not public
document JP2002106855A2025-04-04Not public
Court fee payment confirmation2025-04-04Not public
Action for revocation2025-04-04Not public
document US23167772025-04-04Not public
document US20070167130A12025-04-04Not public
Power of attorney2025-04-04Not public
document DE10118226C12025-04-04Not public
National registers2025-04-04Not public
Power of attorney2025-04-04Not public
Formal response to the request for amendments2025-04-04Not public
Formal response to the request for amendments2025-04-04Not public
Patent EP26493802025-04-04Not public
reply to European Search Report2025-04-04Not public
document CN2255012Y2025-04-04Not public
document US23388112025-04-04Not public
Formal-checks_Request-for-correction2025-04-04Not public
document JP2002106855A2025-04-03Not public
document CN2255012Y2025-04-03Not public
document DE10118226C12025-04-03Not public
Formal response to the request for amendments2025-04-03Not public
Patent EP26493802025-04-03Not public
Action for revocation2025-04-03Not public
reply to European Search Report2025-04-03Not public
Power of attorney2025-04-03Not public
Power of attorney2025-04-03Not public
document US23388112025-04-03Not public
Court fee payment confirmation2025-04-03Not public
document US23167772025-04-03Not public
document US20070167130A12025-04-03Not public
National registers2025-04-03Not public
Formal-checks_Request-for-correction2025-04-02Not public
Power of attorney2025-04-02Not public
document US20070167130A12025-04-02Not public
document DE10118226C12025-04-02Not public
National registers2025-04-02Not public
document US23388112025-04-02Not public
Patent EP26493802025-04-02Not public
Power of attorney2025-04-02Not public
reply to European Search Report2025-04-02Not public
document JP2002106855A2025-04-02Not public
Court fee payment confirmation2025-04-02Not public
document US23167772025-04-02Not public
Action for revocation2025-04-02Not public
document CN2255012Y2025-04-02Not public
Accepted arguments
What the court agreed with — by party.

  • D1 relates to a different kind of ventilation device (roof fan mounted in abutment with base plate) than the claimed exhaust ventilation pipe extending through the roof; the underlying problems are different, so the skilled person has no motivation to modify D1 for easy vertical installation

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC; UPC inventive step framework (UPC_CoA_528/2024, UPC_CoA_764/2024)

  • Feature F4 ('extending through an outer roof of a building') is not disclosed in D1 and defines a physically and spatially limiting requirement for the claimed device

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 69 EPC; claim interpretation principles (UPC_CoA_335/2023)

  • Combining D1 with D4 would not lead to the claimed subject-matter because D4 discloses a passive roof air convector with no exhaust pipe extending through the roof, and the teachings of D1 and D4 are incompatible

    RespondentLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC

  • The claimant failed to substantiate why the skilled person would add a circular spirit level to D1 or integrate it on the conical cup; the base plate of D1 renders any spirit level unnecessary

    RespondentLegal basis: Rules 44(e)-(g), 25.1(b)-(d) RoP; Art. 54 and 65(1) UPCA
Rejected arguments
What the court did not agree with — and why.

  • Feature F4 is implicitly disclosed in D1 or at least D1 is suitable to extend through an outer roof, rendering it non-limiting

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC

  • The invention is obvious over D1 combined with common general knowledge because rooftop installers are constantly motivated to ensure vertical mounting and circular spirit levels were known for at least 70 years

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC

  • D4 discloses a circular spirit level integrated on top of a cup, making the combination of D1 and D4 obvious

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC

  • D2 discloses a level used to confirm horizontal state of an air conditioning apparatus, and the skilled person would combine D1 with D2

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC

  • D3 discloses a level indicator on a roof ventilator, making the combination of D1 and D3 obvious

    ClaimantLegal basis: Art. 56 EPC