In November last year, the EPO updated the Guidelines for
Examination in relation to presentations of information, which
includes Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) (see sections G-II, 3.7
and 3.7.1). This provides a useful consolidation of their current
approach to such inventions.
As will be familiar to users of the EPO, when assessing
patentability of patent applications in this area, the claimed
subject-matter is considered as a whole to determine if it has
technical character and is thus not excluded from patentability.
Only once this test is passed is the application examined in
respect of the other requirements of patentability, in particular
novelty and inventive step. However, only those features which, in
the context of the invention, contribute to producing a technical
effect serving a technical purpose can be used to support inventive
step.
