european patent, page-2

Thanks for that link GBR. This appears to be a useful site which provides a chronology of events (and documents!) relating to the progress the dermportation patent applicaiton in the EC. While the US patent (thanks to ABDM's advice) has been granted, the EC equivalent appears to be stumbling through the process with some particularly scrupulous patent examiners challenging the novelty (among other criteria) of the dermaportation technology. The latest event, as all will see from the below link, relates to the EC examiner issuing a further opinion as to the patent claims (it would seem to be entirely coincidental that this opinion was issued shortly after the US patent office granted the US equivalent). From my scant knowledge on patent applications, criticisms/challenges to the patent application made by the relevant patent authority examiner are a common feature of teh process, and it can take an applicant's patent attorneys many attempts/revision of the application before it finally gets approved. It seems, though, that the EC patent approval is a while off.

J