新穎性優惠期（美國專利法第102條增補）

筆記

一般來說，提到新穎性懮惠期在台灣就說有6個月，在美國為12個月，也就是法律上規定在專利申請前若該發明已經被申請人自己/發明人/授意公開等公開事由，不會影響申請案的新穎性。原則如此，但細節各有差異。

參考資料：http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2013/05/blog-post.html

中華民國專利法第22條第3項

申請人有下列情事之一，並於其事實發生後六個月內申請，該事實非屬第一項各款或前項不得取得發明專利之情事：

一、因實驗而公開者。

二、因於刊物發表者。

三、因陳列於政府主辦或認可之展覽會者。

四、非出於其本意而洩漏者。

中華民國專利對於可主張新穎性優惠期的資格限制如下：
*主張例外不喪失新穎性或進步性之優惠的行為主體應為申請人，非申請人則不得據以主張該優惠。所稱申請人，亦包含申請人之前權利人。所稱前權利人包含專利申請權之被繼承人、讓與人，或申請權人之受雇人或受聘人等。
*申請人因實驗、於刊物發表、陳列於政府主辦或認可之展覽會而自行將申請專利之發明多次公開，使該發明的技術內容於申請前已見於刊物、已公開實施或已為公眾所知悉，而能為公眾得知者，於最早之事實發生日起算六個月內提出申請，若各次公開事實有密不可分之關係者，得僅聲明最早發生之事實。
*密不可分情況如：
(1)連續數日進行之實驗。
(2)公開實驗及其當場散佈之說明書。
(3)刊物的初版及再版。
(4)研討會之論文發表及其後據此發行之論文集。
(5)同一展覽會之巡迴展出。
(6)展覽會之陳列及其後發行之參展型錄。
(7)同一論文於出版社網頁之先行發表及其後於該出版社之刊物發表。
(8)學位論文之發表及該論文於圖書館之陳列。

美國專利法：
（pre-AIA）美國專利第102(b)條（http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2008/08/102b.html）
U.S.C. 102(b)
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless -
the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of the application for patent in the United States

（post-AIA）美國專利改革AIA後的102條款（http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2012/10/aia102.html）
...

(b) EXCEPTIONS.--

(1) DISCLOSURES MADE 1 YEAR OR LESS BEFORE THE EFFECTIVE FILING DATE OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION.--A disclosure made 1 year or less before the effective filing date of a claimed invention shall not be prior art to the claimed invention under subsection (a)(1) if--

(A) the disclosure was made by the inventor or joint inventor or by another who obtained the subject matter disclosed directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor; or

(B) the subject matter disclosed had, before such disclosure, been publicly disclosed by the inventor or a joint inventor or another who obtained the subject matter disclosed directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor.

...

“新穎性懮惠期"與"優先權"不同，當要主張優先權（包括複數優先權），就以優先權文件是否涵蓋後申請專利申請範圍的發明為準；當要主張新穎性優惠期，這等於是申請人/發明人自己承認專利揭露發明已經提早公開，但問題是先公開的文獻是否要與後申請案一樣，或說是否可以能由先公開內容直接得到申請專利發明內容？或是公開之後被別人宣傳公開，甚至改了內容再公開？這是發明人可以考量的問題，我認為先公開的程度不能說已經揭露到專利案的發明內容時，不聲明也好，因為各國對於新穎性優惠期的規定有些差異，可能會阻礙專利獲准或影響權利主張。

另，AIA後，過去在美國專利審查時會忽略申請日前一年內的公開內容，因為申請人可以主張在後宣誓（swearing behind），經考量先發明主義後，或可排除申請前一年內先前技術的阻礙。不過，修法後則...不行這樣，除非是自己人的公開。

因為AIA美國專利改革法案實施之後，102已經簡化新穎性判斷標準，針對這裡討論的新穎性優惠期，美國國會又立法擬推出102加強版，加入102(b)(3)，法案H.R. 1791 / S. 926，以下內容來自監督國會法案運作的網站（不曉得台灣有沒有？）

H.R. 1791/S. 926: Grace Period Restoration Act of 2015

(法案經參眾兩院通過)

法案主旨就是解決AIA對於102中Grace Period定義模糊不清，這影響專利權人的權益以及相關專利訴訟，特別是學術機構/政府實驗室這類研究單位常常以學術發表為先，再主張新穎性優惠期（grace period），不過卻仍有不少模糊空間的爭議存在。

於是提出增補（updated on June 3, 2015），改良35U.S.C.102，加入第(3)條：

(3) Disclosures by any person after public disclosure of a claimed invention by an inventor

(A)

Definitions

In this paragraph—

(i)

the term covered person, with respect to a claimed invention, means—

(I)

the inventor;

(II)

a joint inventor; or

(III)

another who obtained the claimed invention directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor; and

(ii)

the term relevant section 112(a) requirements means the requirements for a specification under section 112(a) other than the requirement to set forth the best mode of carrying out the invention.

(B)

Public disclosure

A disclosure by any person shall not be prior art to a claimed invention under subsection (a) or section 103 if—

(i)

the disclosure is made under subsection (a)(1) or effectively filed under subsection (a)(2) 1 year or less before the effective filing date of the claimed invention; and

(ii)

before the disclosure described in clause (i) is made or filed, and 1 year or less before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the claimed invention is publicly disclosed in a printed publication by a covered person in a manner that satisfies the relevant section 112(a) requirements.

(C)

Determination that public disclosure would have satisfied specification requirements

In determining under subparagraph (B) whether a claimed invention was publicly disclosed in a printed publication by a covered person in a manner that satisfied the relevant section 112(a) requirements—

(i)

only the state of the art known on and before the date of the disclosure may be considered; and

(ii)

satisfaction of the relevant section 112(a) requirements may be—

(I)

established by 1 or more public disclosures in printed publications made by a covered person during the period of 1 year or less between—

(aa)

the disclosure by the covered person described in subparagraph (B)(ii); and

(bb)

the effective filing date of the claimed invention; and

(II)

supported by statements under declaration or oath relating to the existence and content of the public disclosure or disclosures in printed publications described in subclause (I).

(D)

Presumption of validity

An applicant for a patent shall present to the Patent and Trademark Office, before the Patent and Trademark Office issues a notice of allowance of the application for the patent, each disclosure under subparagraph (C)(ii)(I) and any statement under subparagraph (C)(ii)(II) in order for the section 112(a) support provided by each such disclosure or statement under subparagraph (C)(ii) to be taken into account under the section 282(a) presumption of validity of an issued patent.

(E)

Certain disclosures not prior art

A disclosure described in paragraph (1)(A), (2)(A), or (2)(C) shall not be prior art to a claimed invention under this paragraph.

(F)

Procedures

The Patent and Trademark Office may establish procedures to carry out this paragraph.

其中定義"covered person"為發明人/共同發明人/直接或間接由發明人/共同發明人取得內容的人。
內容包括：
(B)公眾公開
被任何人揭露的內容"不能成為先前技術（prior art）"，如果：(i)揭露內容符合102(a)(1)或(a)(2)在專利有效申請日前"一年內"的條件，以及，(ii)在(i)時間條件下的"揭露之前"，專利主張發明（claimed invention）被"covered person"使用出版品（printed publication）以符合112(a)揭露要求的方式公開（要充分揭露）。
(C)符合112(a)揭露規定
本領域技術人員了解；提出出版品內容以以及宣誓書。
(D)有效推定（Presumption of validity）。
(F)USPTO或許會對此另闢新程序。

資料參考：
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr1791/text
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s926/text
http://patentlyo.com/patent/2015/04/grace-period-restoration-2015.html

Ron