Stamicarbon successful opposition against patent TEC

In 2003 Stamicarbon's mother company DSM filed an opposition against the grant of European patent number EP 0 819 106 B1 of Toyo Engineering Corporation.

The patent was directed to the in-situ production of a urea-formaldehyde pre-condensate during the production of granular urea. A urea solution coming from a urea plant was divided in two portions and one portion of the urea solution was mixed with an aqueous formaldehyde solution under alkaline conditions, whereafter it was mixed again with the other portion.
The main argument in opposition was based on a patent publication of the Osterreichische Stickstoffwerke AG with a priority date in 1959.

In oral proceedings before the European Patent Office during the summer of 2005 it was decided that the patent was revoked on the basis of lack of inventive step.
Toyo Engineering Corporation did not file an appeal against the decision of the European Patent Office.