EXCO/FR22/RES/004 

STRENGTHENING THE PRACTICE OF THE INDEPENDENT IP ATTORNEY 

www.ficpi.org

 

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Resolution of the Executive Committee 

Cannes, France, 25 to 29 September 2022 
“

Scope of Antibody Claims

” 

 

FICPI

, the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys, broadly representative 

of the free profession throughout the world, assembled at its Executive Committee at the 
World Congress held in Cannes, France, 25 to 29 September 2022, passed the following 
resolution: 

NOTING

  that antibodies are large, complex proteins with intricate three-dimensional 

structures, 

UNDERSTANDING

  that the quality of interactions of antibodies and their corresponding 

antigens is dependent on many factors that may be affected by modifications at certain 
regions in the amino acid sequence of the antibody, but that minor sequence modifications 
would not normally be expected completely to negate a specific technical effect arising from 
such an interaction,  

BELIEVING

 that to promote the development of new and useful antibodies it is important for 

innovators to obtain patent protection that is commensurate in scope with the disclosure of 
the patent application, including such minor modifications, 

NOTING

 that recent jurisprudence in some jurisdictions is resulting in the grant of antibody 

claims of very limited scope, often limited to the exact sequence or sequences disclosed in the 
application, and usually for reasons of lack of support or enabling disclosure without due 
regard to the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art, 

FIRMLY BELIEVING 

that antibodies can be defined appropriately to afford an adequate level 

of protection by structural limitations at a certain level of generality which cover minor 
sequence modifications and functional limitations to the attainment of a specific technical 

 

“

Scope of Antibody Claims”

 

 

EXCO/FR22/RES/004 

STRENGTHENING THE PRACTICE OF THE INDEPENDENT IP ATTORNEY 

www.ficpi.org

 

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2

 

 

 

effect, supported where necessary by the disclosure in the specification of suitable tests for 
the technical effect, 

URGES

 Patent Offices and courts: 

(i) 

not to develop or apply unduly restrictive practices to the assessment of the 
patentability of antibody claims, and 

(ii) 

to take due account of the knowledge of the person of ordinary skill in the art 
and any test disclosed in the specification for the attainment of a specific 
technical effect when considering the patentability of claims to antibodies that 
are framed to cover minor sequence modifications.