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由美國立法暨實務經驗探討專利品質對提昇產業科技之重要性

The Study on the Importance of Patent Quality to Improve Industrial Technology from the U.S. Legislation and Practical Experiences

摘要


專利制度的目的本在提昇產業科技,然而,專利制度的施行卻亦可能損及產業科技的發展。探究其緣由,主要係因專利品質(patent quality)低落之故。 西元1990年代以降,劣質專利逐一浮現,此源於新的技術領域(如電腦軟體、商業方法電腦軟體)急遽發展,美國專利商標局(Patent and Trademark Office,簡稱'PTO')無法即時應對。致使其核准過多的劣質專利,復以缺乏完善的撤銷制度,使劣質專利權人得以據其專利權肆意地牟取優厚的權利金。此等專利權人即「專利流氓」(patent trolls)之謂。近二十年來,專利流氓的橫行,與專利品質便有密切關聯。美國聯邦國會自西元2004年迄2010年,提出數項專利改革法案(惟,均未能通過立法),論者亦提出多種方案,期有助於解決劣質專利所衍生之疑慮。主要因應措施:(1)採先申請主義,(2)18個月早期公開制,(3)提升審查品質,(4)採行核准後之公眾審查制,(5)從嚴認定故意侵權(willful infringement),以及(6)核發禁令的限制。 我國亦致力於專利審查品質的提升,包括專利法的研修、專利審查基準的的修正。至於專利侵權訴訟,經濟部智慧財產局於2004年10月完成「專利侵害鑑定要點」函送司法院,由司法院函送各法官辦案鑑定時參考。我國並於2008年7月1日成立智慧財產法院,同日施行智慧財產案件審理法及智慧財產案件審理法施行細則。提升專利審查品質及專利侵權訴訟的效率,固然可摒除劣質專利和部分專利流氓,然終未能完全摒除專利流氓。是以,重新檢視其實施要件自有其必要性。 本文以爲回復實施要件之規定,促使專利權人實施其專利權,既有助於其他業者瞭解專利技術之操作,亦可避免專利流氓,有助於產業科技的發展。

並列摘要


Patent quality means patent claims meet the patent requirements. Good quality patents do improve industrial technology, on the contrary, bad quality patents may deter technical innovation and industrial competition. For instance, the holders of bad patents may force other users to pay royalty by threatening them with litigation. That is so-called patent trolls. In 1990s, new technologies were created, such as software, business method software, PTO was unable to keep pace with the new development due to lack of prior art search data, examining guidelines and experience of dealing with new technical field. Hence, bad quality patents were issued one after another. Without efficient post-grant reexamination system, bad quality patents could easily survive at the rest of patent term. For the past two decades, patent trolls greedily collect royalty, ironically, they produce nothing. They apply for patents or buying patents is just for the purpose of collecting royalty or suing others for damages. Most of them are with bad quality patents or broad patents. U.S. Congress noticed the above problems and introduced couple of bills trying to fix it by improving patent quality. None of the bills was passed. Our government is also involved in promoting patent quality and the efficiency of infringement lawsuits. All those efforts do improve patent quality as well as the efficiency of handling lawsuits, but, the patent trolls may still exist. To impose patent holders the duty to practice patent invention is, therefore, extremely important. The author strongly suggests to re-establish working requirement by listing it as one of the causes of compulsory licensing.

參考文獻


工商時報,前鴻海法務長周延鵬:國內專利品質不高,2005 年 4 月 20 日13 版。Commerical Times ( gong shang shi bao ), Hon Hai Ex-General Counsel Zhou Yan-Peng: Our Patent Quality Wasn't High ( guo nei zhuan li pin zhi bu gao ), April 20,2005, 13.
國科會網站:http://web1.nsc.gov.tw/ctpda.aspx?xItem=7457&ctNode=75&mp=8/,2009 年 4 月 26 日。National Science Council, at http://web1.nsc.gov.tw/ctpda.aspx?xItem=7457&ctNode=75&mp=8/, latest visit 04.26.2009.
經濟日報,專利 100 強 劃出新成長曲線,2005 年 9 月 29 日 A10 版。Economic Daily News ( jing ji ri bao ), Patent Top 100 Draw the New Growing Curve ( zhuan li yi ling ling qiang hua chu xin cheng zhang qu xian ), September 29, 2005,A10.
劉惠媚、李柏靜,專利策略於企業經營的關鍵地位,2005 年 7 月 13 日。http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:zwFN_lHDuRcJ:www.ipnavigator.com.tw/news/news_view.asp%3FNewsID%3D20050713130046+%E5%B0%88%E5%88%A9%E5%93%81%E8%B3%AA&cd=18&hl=zh-TW&ct=clnk&gl=tw&lr=lang_zh-TW/,2009 年 4 月 26 日。Liu, Hui-Mei & Li Bo-Jing, Patent Strategy's Swing Status at the Business Management ( zhuan li ce lüe yu qi ye jing ying de guan jian di wei ), July 13, 2005,http://72.14.235.132/search?q=cache:zwFN_lHDuRcJ:www.ipnavigator.com.tw/news/news_view.asp%3FNewsID%3D20050713130046+%E5%B0%88%E5%88%A9%E5%93%81%E8%B3%AA&cd=18&hl=zh-TW&ct=clnk&gl=tw&lr=lang_zh-TW/ latestvisit 04.26.2009.
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被引用紀錄


鍾俊魁(2011)。高科技公司專利策略佈局與運用之研究〔碩士論文,國立臺灣大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://doi.org/10.6342%2fNTU.2011.10468
謝怡婷(2013)。從Bilski案再探商業方法電腦軟體之可專利性〔碩士論文,國立中正大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail?DocID=U0033-2110201613543005
劉芳宇(2014)。專利主張實體問題之研究─以美國經驗為借鏡〔碩士論文,國立中央大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail?DocID=U0031-0412201512015711
楊孟凡(2014)。美國法上先使用權抗辯 - 以專利流氓為主〔碩士論文,國立中正大學〕。華藝線上圖書館。https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail?DocID=U0033-2110201614002541

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