‘A creative interaction with the client and mutual understanding lead to the most valuable IP creations.’
Kristel Van den Broeck
- Chemistry
- European Patent Attorney
- Senior Associate
As a European patent attorney Kristel Van den Broeck has18 years of experience, of which 12 years as in-house patent attorney in the chemical industry. She spent most of that time working for Huntsman, where she was in-house patent attorney for the patent portfolio within the polyurethane division. In this position, she was responsible for drafting patent applications and associated global prosecution; advising on invention valorization; assessing patent validity, freedom to operate studies and European oppositions. Before working for Huntsman, Kristel worked within IMEC’s patent department, working on microelectronics-related patents.
News
R 0016/23: the Enlarged Board confirms the mandatory nature of oral proceedings upon request under Article 116(1) EPC
In R 0016/23 (Enlarged Board of Appeal, 21 November 2025), the Enlarged Board set aside a Legal Board of Appeal decision which had dismissed an appeal without holding requested oral proceedings. The decision is a clear statement that efficiency and “timely legal certainty” cannot, in themselves, justify restricting the scope of Article 116(1) EPC when […]Continue reading
Medical-device infringement and “standard use”: LD Munich on lege artis use and conditional revocation counterclaims (UPC_CFI_628/2024)
In its decision on the merits in UPC_CFI_628/2024 (with the related revocation counterclaim UPC_CFI_125/2025), the Munich Local Division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) addressed two practically relevant issues:Continue reading
Choosing a suitable starting point for inventive step and remittal for an incomplete search: T 0610/24 (Board 3.5.01)
In T 0610/24, the Board set aside a refusal for lack of inventive step and remitted the case for further prosecution, including a further search. The decision is notable for its treatment of the “closest prior art” in the problem–solution approach and for clarifying when an incomplete prior art search can justify remittal under Article […]Continue reading