2008年7月31日 星期四

美國專利前一陣子的消息

自從建立這個Blog之後
以前熱血沸騰地分享給長官或同事的消息 就想po在這裡!

美國與歐洲專利局之間有些競合的關係
除了對抗(比如軟體專利、托辣斯的問題)之外,也有許多對彼此都好的措施
如前一陣子協議建立彼此之間專利後續爭議案(patent prosecution)的高速公路(highway),九月吧!
(大家都在講高速公路,真是時勢所趨)
目的是要改善一些審查與訴訟的品質!
畢竟,專利是國際性的條約,各國之間的互惠相當重要(巴黎合約)

這條Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
且引用引證案有其絕對性,就是世界上的任何一個角落的先公開或是先發明的引證資料都可用以阻礙大多數各國的專利申請案
所以,這個彼此交換的訊息會讓專利申請案的審查更有效率,應該也會更難拿到專利權!
但是以公眾利益來講,這是好事,免得拿到專利很爽,結果爭訟更多

這兩大專利體系的結盟,幾乎就涵蓋了半個地球的專利申請案
影響力十分大,加上各國單獨與美國或歐洲專利局建立的highway,就可將整個世界連結起來!

其中最重要的是,應該要費用,而且是有條件的狀況下─必須在一方的專利局核准至少一項專利範圍,才能提出這個PPH的審查!能加速另一方的審查效率!
Under the Patent Prosecution Highway, an applicant whose application filed with either the EPO or the USPTO contains at least one allowable claim may request that the other office fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications.


原文:摘自USPTO
USPTO and EPO to Pilot Patent Prosecution Highway
Trial program to improve quality and pendency at both offices

Washington, D.C. - The Commerce Department's United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the European Patent Office (EPO) today announced that they intend to launch a new trial cooperation initiative called the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) in September. The Patent Prosecution Highway will leverage fast-track patent examination procedures already available in both offices to allow applicants to obtain corresponding patents faster and more efficiently. It also will permit each office to exploit the work previously done by the other office and reduce duplication. In turn, the initiative will reduce examination workload and improve patent quality.

"This pilot is a major step forward in the USPTO-EPO cooperative efforts to manage workloads and will allow us to take advantage of each other's work thereby reducing our backlogs while still maintaining higher patent quality," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Jon Dudas. "The pilot also significantly expands the PPH network in the global patent office community."

"Being prepared to 'utilise' work is both rational and essential if the patent system is to keep its head above water" said President of the EPO Alison Brimelow. "Exploring the implications of projects like PPH is very important."

Under the Patent Prosecution Highway, an applicant whose application filed with either the EPO or the USPTO contains at least one allowable claim may request that the other office fast track the examination of corresponding claims in corresponding applications. Full requirements for participation in the trial program will be available prior to implementation at www.uspto.gov/web/patents/pph/pph_epo.html (Coming Soon) and www.epo.org.

The purpose of the trial program is to gauge the interest of applicants and determine if the program improves quality and efficiency and reduces the workload at each office. The trial period will be set for one year but may be extended or terminated earlier depending on volume of activity and other factors. Both offices will provide notice of any adjustment in the trial period.

摘自uspto.gov
簡單地說
USPTO與EPO之間建立Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH)
為了使將來的專利審查更快、減少審查負擔、增加審查品質
尤其是在一方審查有可核准的狀態下!

Ron

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