清除歐洲統一專利制度障礙的重要CJEU判決

歐盟司法法院（Court of Justice of the European Union，CJEU）在幾件判決後確認將來歐洲統一專利（unitary patent）將仍基於現行EPC專利申請流程，且統一專利的所有措施由EPO行政專責委員會（Select Committee of the Administrative Council）採用，細節將逐步揭示。

歐洲議會法律事務委員會（European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee，JURI）也參與本次歐盟司法法院的判決，顯示這次判決的重要性。

雖然歐洲統一專利、統一法庭啟動在即，但也不是每個歐盟成員國都買單，比如西班牙日前提出兩個對抗統一專利的加強合作條例（regulations implementing enhanced cooperation）的訴訟，案號：C-146/13、C-147/13，歐盟司法法院否決西班牙這兩個訴訟的訴求，也就如標題所言，對於統一專利制度的共識又邁向一步。

C-146/13

訴訟雙方：Spain v Parliament and Council
主張：歐洲統一專利加強合作條例無效，包括違反現行條例、沒有法律基礎、濫用權利等。
(i) infringement of the values of the rule of law;
(ii) a lack of legal basis;
(iii) a misuse of powers;
(iv) infringement of Article 291(2) TFEU and, in the alternative, of the principles laid down in the judgment in Meroni v High Authority (9/56, EU:C:1958:7);
(v) infringement of those principles owing to the delegation to the EPO of certain administrative tasks relating to the EPUE, and
(vi) and (vii) infringement of the principles of autonomy and uniform application of EU law. 

判決：歐盟司法法院否決西班牙的主張，並負擔歐洲議會與理事會的訴訟費用

C-147/13

訴訟雙方：Spain v Council
主張：廢除統一專利的加強合作條例
判決：歐盟司法法院否決西班牙的主張，並負擔歐洲議會與理事會的訴訟費用

歐洲統一專利（unitary patent）將來會稱歐洲專利（European patent），概念上由EPO統一審理，一旦獲准，效力及於相關會員國，爭議也會由統一法庭審理。

本次爭議中，歐盟司法法院（CJEU）強調，歐洲專利由EPC規範，並非歐盟法（EU Law），將來統一專利同樣符合EPC規定；對於智慧財產通行全歐洲的法律基礎，法院認為統一專利可以讓智慧財產權在各會原國有一致的保護，不致讓各國的差異性影響專利實施。

透過這次爭議，雖有法律上的障礙、語言上的困擾（西班牙文非官方語言）、全歐施行的疑慮，但都在法院意見下"統一"見解，消除往統一專利系統的路障。

統一專利實施就待歐洲統一專利法庭的協議成立（至少要有歐盟13個成員國簽署，其中還應包括法國、德國與英國）。
（http://documents.epo.org/projects/babylon/eponet.nsf/0/A1080B83447CB9DDC1257B36005AAAB8/$File/upc_agreement_en.pdf）

補充：
REGULATION (EU) No 1257/2012 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:361:0001:0008:EN:PDF
一些歐洲統一專利參考（這部分近日會重新理解）：
http://www.epo.org/law-practice/unitary/unitary-patent.html
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2013/11/blog-post_6.html

一些參考資料：http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_cooperation（歐盟加強合作條例）
這個表格顯示歐盟成員國之間的合作協議：加強合作條例（Enhanced cooperation）、協調開放法則（Open Method of Coordination）與相關政府間條例（Related intergovernmental treaties）：

所謂歐盟加強合作條例包含三個部分：脫離法（Applicable Divorce law）、統一專利（Unitary patent）與金融交易稅法（Financial transaction tax）

資料來源：
http://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2015/20150505.html
"It confirms that the European patent with unitary effect will be based on the procedure for granting European patents laid down in the European Patent Convention and that all implementing measures for the unitary patent are to be taken by the participating member states in the Select Committee of the Administrative Council of the EPO. Work in the Select Committee has progressed very well, and the EPO is confident that all necessary steps, including a decision on the level of the renewal fees, will be met in the coming months.

The decisions of the Court were published today while a visit to the EPO headquarters in Munich by a delegation of the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), headed by its Chairman Pavel Svoboda, was taking place. EPO President Benoît Battistelli emphasised the high significance of the decisions: “With its rulings the Court has created the necessary legal certainty for participating EU member states as well as for users of the European patent system, and, after more than 40 years, paves the way towards truly uniform patent protection in Europe.”

The EPO also expressed its hope that the judgments give new impetus to the process of ratification and implementation of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement, and that the unitary patent package can come into operation in the course of 2016."

http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2015-05/cp150049en.pdf

Ron