have been if he had not sustained the wrong for which he is now getting his compensation or reparation". Patent law The expression restitutio in integrum is also used in patent law, namely in the European Patent Convention (EPC), and refers to a means of redress available to an applicant or patentee who has failed to meet a time limit in spite of exercising "all due care required by the circumstances". If the request for restitutio in integrum is accepted, the applicant or patentee is re-established in its rights, as if the time limit had been duly met. According to decision G 1/86 of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office, other parties such as opponents are not barred from the restitutio in integrum by principle. For instance, if an opponent fails to file the statement of grounds for appeal in spite of all due care, after having duly filed the notice of appeal, restitutio remedies are available to them. Ancient Roman law Restitutio in integrum had a distinct meaning in ancient Roman law that differed from its common law counterpart. The core concept of reversing to original condition was preserved, but restitutio in integrum was a specific method of praetor intervention in an otherwise-valid legal action that was viewed as especially unjust or harmful. It was an extraordinary measure designed to protect from arbitrary application of law, which Romans viewed very unfavorably (expressed in the Latin maxim summum ius, summa iniuria "the greatest law is the greatest injury"). As such, it was an ultimum remedium ("ultimate remedy"), which was used only when all other avenues of protection from injustice were expanded. Examples of situations in which restitutio in integrum might have been employed were harmful legal actions undertaken by those below 25 years of age because of their inexperience and legal actions undertaken with erroneous assumptions (error) or in fear (metus) of another's threat (vis). References Latin legal terminology Law of negligence European Patent Organisation Tort law Roman law