PCT application

Maybe it's because it's late in the evening here in Belgium but I did a check up on LPD's PCT application and I'm quite sure I've never seen the document "International Preliminary Report on Patentability Chapter II (IPEA/409)". I'm thinking this document was recently released (12 month period?) and it concludes, as was announced 12 months ago, that LPD's patent application is novel, inventive and has industrial applicability. This is great as the search report is used as guidance for the national entry phase and so the national patents should have no problem getting approval.

Anyway, there is an interesting amendment from Wrays on page 5 which discusses the novelty and inventive step of the L-Max process and its ability to deal with the release of Fluoride from certain mica's (like Lepidolite). Remember, this document is from early 2016, before the whole takeover battle.

It is exactly because of this that the patent was considered inventive and novel. Before the amendment, the patent was not considered novel and inventive wich means it is very hard to get a new patent accepted which uses acid leaching to extract lithium (Sileach ?). Also, does this mean we have a patent on the only safe and effective method of extracting lithium from mica's? Thinking this really is L-Max's strong point as it was used to attack Sileach with.

The document can be found here (second file in the list): https://register.epo.org/ipfwretrieve?apn=AU.2015000608.W&lng=en