Dans l’affaire Eli Lilly Canada Inc. v. Novopharm Limited, 2007 FC 596, (June 5, 2007), le juge Hughes conclut une révision de la jurisprudence sur la suffisance de description pour des brevets de sélection (applicables surtout dans le domaine de la chimie – biochimie) avec les principes-résumés suivants à noter pour tout dossier qui impliquerait une telle question:
[139] Thus, in considering the law as to sufficiency in regard to selection patents, the following may be concluded:
1. A valid selection patent may be obtained where the invention lies in selecting a member or members from a previously disclosed group where the member or members selected possess a particular advantage not previously to be found or predicted in a large number of members of the class by a person skilled in the art.
2. The advantage may also be a disadvantage to be avoided.
3. The advantage must be clearly set out in the specification. A statement that the selected group possesses advantages or lack of disadvantages is not in itself sufficient; the advantage must be plainly and fully set out in sufficient detail so as to enable a person skilled in the art to know and appreciate what they are.
