Die Entwicklung der Rechtsprechung zur patentrechtlichen Äquivalenzlehre in Deutschland und Großbritannien

Is a uniform European doctrine of equivalence within reach in light of the recent UK Supreme Court decision in Actavis v. Eli Lilly? Taking a comparative approach, the thesis outlines the development of case law on the scope of patent protection in Germany and the United Kingdom by looking at the respective precedents and examines whether there is a common foundation for a uniform doctrine of equivalence in the two most important patent jurisdictions in Europe. It deals in particular with the two controversial and for practitioners very relevant problem areas of the "prosecution history estoppel" as well as the so-called selection decision and makes a proposal for a reform of the EPC.