COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD:

Chairman: P. Messerli Members: B. Gnzel, R. Freimuth, L. Galligani, K. Hrmand, K. Klett, S. Perryman

Appellant I/Patent proprietor: State of Israel Ministry of Agriculture Appellant II/Opponent: Unilever N.V.

Headword: Tomatoes/STATE OF ISRAEL Relevant legal provisions: Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties Art. 31(1), 32 Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property Art. 4G Convention on the Unification of Certain Points of Substantive Law on Patents for Invention (Strasbourg Patent Convention) Art. 2b International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Convention) European Union Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 1998 on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions Art. 2(2), 7, recitals 17, 33

Transitional provisions: Decision of the Administrative Council of 28 June 2001 on the transitional provi- sions under Article 7 of the Act revising the EPC Art. 1(1)

1 The keyword, summary of facts and submis- sions and reasons for the decision are identical in their wording to the corresponding section of decision G 2/07, OJ EPO 2012, 130 (in this issue). The proceedings are consolidated. Therefore only this abridged version of the decision is being published. A copy of the full text in the language of proceedings may be obtained from the EPO Information office in Munich on payment of a photocopying fee of EUR 0.70 per page.

Decision of the Administrative Council of 7 December 2006 amending the Imple- menting Regulations to the European Patent Convention 2000 Art. 2 Notice dated 1 July 1999 concerning the amendment of the Implementing Regulations to the European Patent Convention, point 19, explanatory notes to Rule 23b(5) EPC Art. 52, 52(1), (2), (3), 53, 53(b), 83, 164(2) R. 26 (1), (2), (3), (5), 27(c) EPC 1973 Art. 33(1)(b), 52, 52(4), 53(b), 76, 83, 164(2) R. 23c(c), 23b(1), (5), 25(1), 28

References: ar52; ar53; ar164; r26; r27;