Computer-Implemented B2B Information System not Inventive Due to Comvik and Despite TRIPS

Electronic components shops in Guangzhou, CN, supplying local companies Case T 528/07, decided by the EPO’s Technical Board of Appeal 3.5.01 on 27 April 2010 is exceptionally interesting since it relates to not less than three interesting issues, namely the influence of the TRIPS agreement on the EPC, the examination of claims having both technical and non-technical features, and the exclusion of “presentation of information” from patentability according to Art. 52 (1) d EPC. The applicant (Accenture Global Services GmbH) of EP application 02800218 appealed the EPO’s decision that the invented computer system for providing a computer-supported Business-to-Business (B2B) portal is found not inventive over prior art document US 5 893 091 A. Claim 1 of the refused application reads: A computer system for providing a business-to-business relationship portal presenting business opportunity information to permissionned users comprising: a network of computers including a server and a plurality of client computers capable of communicating with said server; said server being programmed to send files to create a graphical user interface on a display of at least one of said client computers via browser software executing on said at least one client computer; said graphical user interface including a login page to identify permissionning that the user will have within the system; said graphical user interface including a briefing page having a plurality of channels with links to respective portal applications; wherein the channels contain substantially real-time data from the portal applications, wherein the user selects a specific timeframe for content retrieval and sees new items added to the portal within the selected time-frame; said briefing page including a link to a create opportunities application enabling the entry of information related to new business opportunities, said server being programmed to restrict use of said create an opportunities application to a createopportunity set of permissionned users; said portal applications including an opportunities application that displays business opportunities based on user permissionning; said portal applications including a catalog application that displays catalog content related to the business opportunities based on user permissionning; said portal applications including at least one communication application that displays communication items related to the business opportunities based on user permissionning; said server being programmed so as to enable an administration set of permissionned users to set user permissionning related to said business opportunities. The TRIPS agreement and inventiveness: Claim 1 relates to a computer system (a so called “business-to-business relationship portal”) facilitating the exchange of information between business parties by presenting “business opportunity information” to permissio…