歐洲專利加速審查（PACE）筆記 (Part 2)

本篇用來補充上篇內容（歐洲專利加速審查（PACE）筆記 (Part I)），根據另一EPO公告，PACE似乎是在某些條件下才會被同意。

同前篇，PACE可以在檢索或審查階段提出，個別僅能提一次，在有條件下會被拒絕，同意請求也是有條件的（"in a fit state"）。

"PACE requests for search or examination will be considered only if the application is in a fit state (e.g. for examination any defects identified earlier must have been addressed). "

當申請人提出多件PACE時，會被要求選擇優先順序並合理地限制數量。

"Applicants requesting PACE for many or all of their pending applications will be asked to make a selection and reasonably limit the number of their requests to only those which are the most urgent."

EPO已經要求在專利申請日後6個月內作出檢索報告，因此PACE在檢索階段意義不大，不過載審查階段，如果受理PACE，官方會在3個月內作出審查意見，並且當申請人回應後，EPO仍會在接收到申請人回應後3個月內作出下次意見（同一個PACE程序）。

這裡要求申請人回應官方意見應具備以下條件，之後才有可能按照PACE規定的時間（3個月）回覆。
(i) 申請案在審查階段。
(ii) 回應EPO檢索報告與所附帶的初步審查意見（Rule 70a EPC），或是回應PCT的檢索報告或初步意見（Rule 161(1) EPC）。
(iii) 提出PACE請求，以最晚的為主（針對有第二OA）。

"(i) the application by the examining division;
(ii) the applicant's response to the communication under Rule 70a or 161(1) EPC; or(iii) the PACE request, whichever is latest."

資料參考：
https://www.epo.org/news-issues/news/2016/20160101.html

PACE（30 November 2015）：
（https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2015/11/a93.html）
（https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/official-journal/2015/11/a94.html）

這裡提到，要加速歐洲專利審查的方式有PPH，另提出幾種可以加速審查的動作（好像是撇步，但合法又重要）：

A. Waiving the invitation under Rule 70(2) EPC
在申請人接收到檢索報告前，申請人可以表示放棄（waiving）對檢索告提出回應（修正）（Rule 70(2) EPC），無論檢索報告如何，都無條件進行實際審查，因此檢索報告會伴隨完整的審查意見，申請人需要慎重回應。

Rule 70 Request for examination
(2) If the request for examination has been filed before the European search report has been transmitted to the applicant, the European Patent Office shall invite the applicant to indicate, within a period to be specified, whether he wishes to proceed further with the application, and shall give him the opportunity to comment on the search report and to amend, where appropriate, the description, claims and drawings. 

補充Rule 62 EPC：EPO檢索部門提出檢索報告時，需要加上一些有關專利性的意見，但這部分不會被公開。

B. Waiving the communication under Rules 161 and 162 EPC
以Euro-PCT申請案為例，進入EPO後，會通知申請人可以在6個月內修正，並確認申請案費用（可能因為修正而改變）。然而，在接獲進入EPO階段通知前，申請人可以表示放棄（waiving，宣告放棄）Rule 161中規定可以在進入EPO時修正的權利，如此，EPO就不會通知申請人，而直接開始執行補充審查報告（supplementary European search）。因此可以有加速審查的效果（不用等6個月，但仍會確認費用是否符合規定）。

這裡特別提到，如果EPO已經發出PCT進入EPO階段的通知，申請人就有6個月回應與修正的時間，不過，可以提早回應，並請求不要再等到6個滿期才繼續後續程序：""The applicant requests the immediate start of processing and waives his right to use the remainder of the six-month period under Rules 161(1) or (2) and 162 EPC"."。這樣也有些加速的效果。

Euro-PCT可參考過去報導：http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2015/04/pct-procedure-at-epo.html

[相關修正規定]
Rule 161 Amendment of the application
(1)
If the European Patent Office has acted as the International Searching Authority and, where a demand under Article 31 PCT was filed, also as the International Preliminary Examining Authority for a Euro-PCT application, it shall give the applicant the opportunity to comment on the written opinion of the International Searching Authority or the International Preliminary Examination Report and, where appropriate, invite him to correct any deficiencies noted in the written opinion or in the International Preliminary Examination Report and to amend the description, claims and drawings within a period of six months from the respective communication. If the European Patent Office has drawn up a supplementary international search report, an invitation in accordance with the first sentence shall be issued in respect of the explanations given in accordance with Rule 45bis.7(e) PCT. If the applicant does not comply with or comment on an invitation in accordance with the first or second sentence, the application shall be deemed to be withdrawn.
(2)
Where the European Patent Office draws up a supplementary European search report on a Euro-PCT application, the application may be amended once within a period of six months from a communication informing the applicant accordingly. The application as amended shall serve as the basis for the supplementary European search. 

C. Waiving a further communication under Rule 71(3) EPC
根據Rule 71(3) EPC規定，在EPO審查部門發出核准通知前，會通知申請人申請案將被核准，要求繳交核准與公告，以及提出另外兩個官方語言的Claims翻譯。然而，申請人可以明確表示放棄接收這個通知，除非有其他問題，EPO將立即執行後續核准領證作業，這樣有加速的效果。

Rule 71 Examination procedure
(3)
Before the Examining Division decides to grant the European patent, it shall inform the applicant of the text in which it intends to grant it and of the related bibliographic data. In this communication the Examining Division shall invite the applicant to pay the fee for grant and publishing and to file a translation of the claims in the two official languages of the European Patent Office other than the language of the proceedings within four months.  


D. Early entry into the European phase
以EP申請案為例，當PCT到期前，不會指定EPO為指定國家階段，因此提早指定，將有助於EPO加速審查。


再者，如果是在侵權訴訟中，無效異議程序將加速。

Ron