ðɪs ɐpɹˈoʊtʃ kənfˈɜːmd ðætðə bˈoːɹdz ʌv ɐpˈiːl ʌvðɪ ˌiːpˌiːˈoʊ hæv ɐbˈændənd ðə "kˌɑːntɹɪbjˈuːʃən ɐpɹˈoʊtʃ", wˌɪtʃ kənsˈɪstᵻd ɪn dᵻsˈaɪdɪŋ wˈɛðɚɹ ɐ klˈeɪmd sˈʌbdʒɛktmˈæɾɚɹ ɪz ɐn ɪnvˈɛnʃən baɪ dᵻsˈaɪdɪŋ wˈɛðɚɹ ɪt bɹˈɔːt fˈɔːɹwɚd ɐ kˌɑːntɹɪbjˈuːʃən tə ðɪ ˈɑːɹt ɪn ɐ fˈiːld nˈɑːn ɛksklˈuːdᵻd fɹʌm pˌæʔn̩ɾəbˈɪlᵻɾi, ænd ðˈɛɹfoːɹ baɪ ɪnhˈiəɹəntli tˈeɪkɪŋ ˌɪntʊ ɐkˈaʊnt pɹˈaɪɚɹ ˈɑːɹt dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ðɪs fˈɜːst stˈɛp.
This approach confirmed that the Boards of Appeal of the EPO have abandoned the "contribution approach", which consisted in deciding whether a claimed subject-matter is an invention by deciding whether it brought forward a contribution to the art in a field non excluded from patentability, and therefore by inherently taking into account prior art during this first step.