簡單來說，BEST MODE這個原本規範發明人/申請人提出專利申請時，應該揭露申請日時已知的最佳實施例（美國專利法第112條第一段），而且在原本美國專利法第282條所規範專利無效的理由也有BEST MODE這項。這自然是個規定，卻難以規範所有的人這樣做，如果一旦法庭上的爭論是BEST MODE，可能產生難以判斷與錯誤判斷的模糊地帶。
然而，根據美國專利改革法案（AIA），在35 USC 112, first paragraph中並未刪除應揭露BEST MODE的規定，也未刪除MPEP 2165中所規定BEST MODE的揭露要求，但在35 USC 282中則刪除BEST MODE為專利無效的理由。
（也就是說，當審查委員判斷出發明人於申請時並未揭露BEST MODE，因為審查指南的規定，該案可能會被核駁；但是審查時並未有此爭議，之後的專利無效或是侵權訴訟中，BEST MODE將不會成為專利無效的理由）
35 U.S.C. 282 Presumption of validity; defenses. (AFTER AIA)
(b) DEFENSES.--The following shall be defenses in any action involving the validity or infringement of a patent and shall be pleaded:
(1) Noninfringement, absence of liability for infringement, or unenforceability.
(2) Invalidity of the patent or any claim in suit on any ground specified in part II as a condition for patentability.
(3) Invalidity of the patent or any claim in suit for failure to comply with--
(A) any requirement of
section 112, except that the failure to disclose the best mode shall not
be a basis on which any claim of a patent may be canceled or held
invalid or otherwise unenforceable; or
(B) any requirement of section 251.
(4) Any other fact or act made a defense by this title.
另外，針對主張優先權或是延續案的美國專利法第119, 120條的後續案，也不會被要求揭露BEST MODE。
35 U.S.C. 112 Specification.
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.2165 The Best Mode Requirement
A third requirement of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112 is that:
The specification.. . shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
"The best mode requirement creates a
statutory bargained-for-exchange by which a patentee obtains the right
to exclude others from practicing the claimed invention for a certain
time period, and the public receives knowledge of the preferred
embodiments for practicing the claimed invention." Eli Lilly & Co. v. Barr Laboratories Inc., 251 F.3d 955, 963, 58 USPQ2d 1865, 1874 (Fed. Cir. 2001).
The best mode requirement is a safeguard
against the desire on the part of some people to obtain patent
protection without making a full disclosure as required by the statute.
The requirement does not permit inventors to disclose only what they
know to be their second-best embodiment, while retaining the best for
themselves. In re Nelson, 280 F.2d 172, 126 USPQ 242 (CCPA 1960).
Determining compliance with the best mode
requirement requires a two-prong inquiry. First, it must be determined
whether, at the time the application was filed, the inventor possessed a
best mode for practicing the invention. This is a subjective inquiry
which focuses on the inventor's state of mind at the time of filing.
Second, if the inventor did possess a best mode, it must be determined
whether the written description disclosed the best mode such that a
person skilled in the art could practice it. This is an objective
inquiry, focusing on the scope of the claimed invention and the level of
skill in the art. Eli Lilly & Co. v. Barr Laboratories Inc., 251 F.3d 955, 963, 58 USPQ2d 1865, 1874 (Fed. Cir. 2001).
The failure to disclose a better method
will not invalidate a patent if the inventor, at the time of filing the
application, did not know of the better method OR did not
appreciate that it was the best method. All applicants are required to
disclose for the claimed subject matter the best mode contemplated by
the inventor even though applicant may not have been the discoverer of
that mode. Benger Labs. Ltd. v. R.K. Laros Co., 209 F. Supp. 639, 135 USPQ 11 (E.D. Pa. 1962).
Ron
資料參考：USPTO, bitlaw.com
沒有留言:
張貼留言