{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/patents-rules-2007/article-78",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/patents-rules-2007/article-78.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2007/3291",
  "legislation_title": "The Patents Rules 2007",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/patents-rules-2007",
  "path": "article/78",
  "kind": "article",
  "number": "78",
  "heading": "The counter-statement",
  "text": "(1) Any counter-statement filed by the defendant must—\n(a) state which of the allegations in the statement of grounds he denies;\n(b) state which of the allegations he is unable to admit or deny, but which he requires the claimant to prove;\n(c) state which of the allegations he admits;\n(d) be verified by a statement of truth; and\n(e) comply with the requirements of Part 1 of Schedule 2.\n(2) Where the defendant denies an allegation—\n(a) he must state his reasons for doing so; and\n(b) if he intends to put forward a different version of events from that given by the claimant, he must state his own version.\n(3) A defendant who fails to deal with an allegation in a counter-statement shall be taken to admit that allegation.\n(4) But a defendant who—\n(a) fails to deal with an allegation; but\n(b) has set out in his counter-statement the nature of his case in relation to the issue to which the allegation is relevant,\nshall be taken to require the allegation to be proved.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/3291/article/78",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T03:40:58.093437+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}