趨勢科技對抗IV（涉及101討論，Intellectual Ventures v. Trend Micro Inc.）
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2015/05/iv101intellectual-ventures-v-trend.html
本篇案件資訊：
原告/上訴人：INTELLECTUAL VENTURES I LLC
被告/被上訴人：SYMANTEC CORP., TREND MICRO INCORPORATED, TREND MICRO, INC. (USA)
系爭專利：US6,460,050, US6,073,142, US5,987,610
本案緣起原告Intellectual Ventures在Delaware地方法院對兩大防毒軟體公司Symantec與Trend Micro提出侵權告訴，在被告提出的專利無效的請願程序中，陪審團裁決駁回Symantec提出的無效理由（102, 103），還裁決Symantec對'142與'610侵權成立，但對'050侵權不成立，之後才提出可專利性議題（101）；對Trend Micro則相較單純，僅提出101無效請願。
地院最後判決'050與'142的請求項不具可專利性，違反美國專利法第101條規定，以及'610請求項為可專利的發明。
對於'050與'142不可專利性的裁決，原告上訴。
CAFC階段：
系爭專利所涉及美國專利法第101條的問題，以Alice/Mayo等案例衍生的判斷原則來檢驗，包括判斷是否落於101可專利標的中、是否落於自然律等可專利例外，若屬於抽象概念，就判斷請求項範圍是否有"實質超越"的技術特徵？是否有可以將抽象概念轉換為可專利的應用？
一、系爭專利US6,460,050關於一種散播內容識別檔案特徵的系統，Claim 9如下，方法步驟包括從識別符產生者接收內容識別符（content identifier），使用一數學演算法建立內容識別碼（content ID）；判斷內容識別符是否符合其他識別符的特徵；根據判斷結果輸出檔案特徵指示。
9. A method for identifying characteristics of data files, comprising:
receiving, on a processing system, file content identifiers for data files from a plurality of file content identifier generator agents, each agent provided on a source system and creating file content IDs using a mathematical algorithm, via a network;
determining, on the processing system, whether each received content identifier matches a characteristic of other identifiers; and
outputting, to at least one of the source systems responsive to a request from said source system, an indication of the characteristic of the data file based on said step of determining.
而以上方法其實是處理電子郵件的技術，而CAFC同意地院認定處理檔案、電子郵件等已知活動且使用一般目的電腦的技術是抽象概念。"The Supreme Court and we have held that a wide variety of well-known and other activities constitute abstract ideas."
"...based on a known list of identifiers is no less abstract. The patent merely applies a well-known idea using generic computers “to the particular technological environment of the Internet.”"
二、系爭專利US6,073,142關於根據電子郵件規則分析的一種自動郵局，Claim 1如下，自動郵局包括電子郵件接收手段、商業規則資料庫、規則引擎與散布手段，能夠根據過去的商業規則來決定適用目前電子郵件的寄送規則。
1. A post office for receiving and redistributing e-mail messages on a computer network, the post office comprising:
a receipt mechanism that receives an e-mail message from a sender, the e-mail message having at least one specified recipient;
a database of business rules, each business rule specifying an action for controlling the delivery of an e-mail message as a function of an attribute of the e-mail message;
a rule engine coupled to receive an e-mail message from the receipt mechanism and coupled to the database to selectively apply the business rules to the e-mail message to determine from selected ones of the business rules a set of actions to be applied to the e-mail message; and
a distribution mechanism coupled to receive the set of actions from the rule engine and apply at least one action thereof to the e-mail message to control delivery of the e-mail message and which in response to the rule engine applying an action of deferring delivery of the e-mail message, the distribution engine automatically combines the e-mail message with a new distribution list specifying at least one destination post office for receiving the e-mail message for review by an administrator associated with the destination post office, and a rule history specifying the business rules that were determined to be applicable to the e-mail message by at least one rule engine, and automatically delivers the e-mail message to a first destination post office on the distribution list instead of a specified recipient of the e-mail message.
CAFC同意地院裁定'142專利僅是如一般實體郵局的實施概念，使得上述請求項涉及人類實作概念，技術並未超越一般目的電腦執行的一般電腦功能，認定為抽象概念的技術。"we determine whether “each step does no more than require a generic computer to perform generic computer functions.”"
三、系爭專利US5,987,610關於過濾電腦病毒的方法，如Claim 1界定的方法，當從一方取得電腦檔案時，當偵測到其中病毒，即阻止發送出去。
1. A virus screening method comprising the steps of:
routing a call between a calling party and a called party of a telephone network;
receiving, within the telephone network, computer data from a first party selected from the group consisting of the calling party and the called party;
detecting, within the telephone network, a virus in the computer data; and
in response to detecting the virus, inhibiting communication of at least a portion of the computer data from the telephone network to a second party selected from the group consisting of the calling party and the called party.
法官同意'610與其他兩件系爭專利不同，因為這不是解決人類或是一般事務的技術，是針對「電腦病毒」，然而，在'610申請時，以及說明書承認的先前技術，病毒過濾是一般技術，'610頂多是適用在網路傳遞的資料而已，所適用的環境僅是一般環境，'610沒有改善電腦功能，不如Enfish案一般，沒有轉換到可專利的應用上。
涉及案例：
- 改善電腦技術的軟體方法具有可專利性？ - Enfish LLC v Microsoft (Fed. Cir. 2016)（http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2016/05/enfish-llc-v-microsoft-fed-cir-2016.html）
- 改善電腦技術的發明非為可專利性標的，後見之明？ - TLI Communications v. AV Automotive (Fed. Cir. 2016)（http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2016/05/tli-communications-v-av-automotive-fed.html）
CAFC法官最後判決三件系爭專利的請求項範圍皆不具可專利性。
my two cents:
本案例涉及電腦技術是否可專利的議題，覺得頗有參考價值。現在申請的電腦相關發明可能應該都迴避這些問題，而且也能盡量以最嚴格標準來看，雖然將來法院的態度又會有改變，但似乎可以漸漸學習這些先前先烈留下的功課。
Ron
沒有留言:
張貼留言