2015年10月20日 星期二

AIA後的國外優先權修正辦法

優先權(priority)是個判斷專利申請案先後的重要指標,因此不容隨意更改,但是總會出錯,但是優先權文件(或優先權主張)是否隨同申請案一併提交,各國有不同的規定,有些是取得申請日的必要文件之一,有些則是可以後補,但如果要修正,規定是相對嚴格的。

AIA前:
此篇討論美國專利改革法案AIA前後的修正措施,理由是,AIA實施前,美國國內外規定有所不同(根據IPWatchdog網站內容所述),要修正"國內"優先權主張時,如CA、CIP、DIV案等,若已經超過可以提出優先權主張的期限,應提出請願書(petition),並主張非故意延遲的理由;對於修正"國外"優先權,則無須提出請願書,僅提出修正即可。國內外優先權主張修正規定不同理由不脫是美國專利延續案在其國內的獨特性,母案申請日影響有效先前技術的搜尋;而國外較早申請案申請日(優先權日)不會影響美國公開專利申請案的有效先前技術日期(涉及102規定,與first to invent先發明日有關)


U.S.C.102(a)
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless -
the invention was known or used by others in this country (在美國本土的發明人本身以外的人知道或是使用), or patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country (在美國或是其他國家獲得專利或是以印刷品公開), before the invention thereof by the applicant for patent.


U.S.C. 102(b)
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless -
the invention was patented or described in a printed publication (已獲得專利或是列印公開) in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country (美國本土公開使用或販賣), more than one year (超過一年) prior to the date of the application for patent in the United States.


"... an earlier foreign filed patent application was not a prior art date under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C 102(e)"
U.S.C.102(e)
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless--
(e) the invention was described in (1) an application for patent, published under section 122(b) [35 USC 122(b)], by another filed in the United States before the invention by the applicant for patent or (2) a patent granted on an application for patent by another filed in the United States before the invention by the applicant for patent, except that an international application filed under the treaty defined in section 351(a) [35 USC 351(a)] shall have the effects for the purposes of this subsection of an application filed in the United States only if the international application designated the United States and was published under Article 21(2) of such treaty in the English language.


一些文章參考:
AIA前規定:可參考:http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2009/03/blog-post_19.html,優先權主張不一定要在申請日當日提出,可以在期限內補入(美國申請日後4個月內),優先權文件可於優先權日後16個月內提出。可見,優先權文件並非取得申請日的必要文件。

AIA後規定:
先瞭解AIA對「有效申請日(effective filing date)」的定義:(1)專利申請日;或(2)最早申請案申請日,包括優先權日或是母案申請日(35 U.S.C. 119(一般優先權)120(CA, CIP, DIV)121(分割案), or 365(PCT)),這一天也就是美國專利法判斷新穎性,以至於102(b)(1)一年優惠期的基礎日。
"The AIA defines the term “effective filing date” for a claimed invention in a patent or application for patent (other than a reissue application or reissued patent) as the earliest of: (1) the actual filing date of the patent or the application for the patent containing the claimed invention; or (2) the filing date of the earliest application for which the patent or application is entitled, as to such invention, to a right of priority or the benefit of an earlier filing date under 35 U.S.C. 119120121, or 365. See 35 U.S.C. 100(i)(1). Thus, the one-year grace period (as defined in MPEP § 2151) in AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) is measured from the filing date of any U.S. or foreign patent application to which the patent or application is entitled to benefit or priority as to such invention, whereas the one-year grace period in pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102(b) is measured from only the filing date of the earliest application filed in the United States (directly or through the PCT)."

AIA後以「有效申請日(first to file)」作為專利申請案新穎性與進步性判斷的日期,這改變有效先前技術的條件,而「國外優先權日」相對變得更重要。此處涉及AIA法案刪除了「Hilmer Doctrine(美國國外優先權與先申請美國的申請案間的衝突)」,AIA前,pre-AIA 35U.S.C.102(e)規定美國專利/專利申請案的有效申請日為比對先前技術的基礎日(比申請日誰早);AIA後,post-AIA 35U.S.C.102(d)則提出以國內/國外最早申請日作為美國專利/申請案的有效申請日,如WIPO案進入美國國家階段。

35 U.S.C. 102 Conditions for patentability; novelty
(d) PATENTS AND PUBLISHED APPLICATIONS EFFECTIVE AS PRIOR ART.--For purposes of determining whether a patent or application for patent is prior art to a claimed invention under subsection (a)(2), such patent or application shall be considered to have been effectively filed, with respect to any subject matter described in the patent or application--
(1) if paragraph (2) does not apply, as of the actual filing date of the patent or the application for patent; or
(2) if the patent or application for patent is entitled to claim a right of priority under section 119, 365(a), or 365(b), or to claim the benefit of an earlier filing date under section 120, 121, or 365(c), based upon 1 or more prior filed applications for patent, as of the filing date of the earliest such application that describes the subject matter.

因此,當AIA讓國外優先權日的地位提高到「有效申請日」,任何有關國外優先權的修正,如果已經超出優先權主張的期限時,修正應以請願書(petition)提出,並隨附非故意延遲的理由。


此措施於「Nov. 5, 2015」開始實施。

參考文章:
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2012/10/aia102.html


資訊來源:
美國聯邦記事:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-10-06/pdf/2015-25407.pdf

參考資料(IPWatchdog主要內容摘自聯邦記事):

Ron

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