美國專利商標局（USPTO）擬修訂單方複審（ex parte reexaminatin，簡稱EPR）的規則，即要求提交單方複審請求時，必須揭示涉及單方複審案的所有真正利害關係人（all real parties in interest），但此揭示僅提供USPTO，對專利權人是保密的，並且同時評估單方複審適用法定禁止反言（statutory estoppel）的機制。（編按，法定禁反言比較像是一事不再理，目的是避免重複提出相同事證與議題，確保前後主張一致，不同於造成專利範圍解釋的專利審查歷史禁反言（Prosecution History Estoppel））
看完整個聯邦記事，目的是要對齊其他平行的無效程序，如IPR、GPR等，且避免被濫用EPR，另也考量適用法定禁反言、防止重複議題、排除未被授權的EPR，增加USPTO效能。
相關法規，並且有些是會被修訂的：
statutory estoppel：
35 U.S. Code § 315 - Relation to other proceedings or actions
(e)Estoppel.—
(1)Proceedings before the office.— The petitioner in an inter partes review of a claim in a patent under this chapter that results in a final written decision under section 318(a), or the real party in interest or privy of the petitioner, may not request or maintain a proceeding before the Office with respect to that claim on any ground that the petitioner raised or reasonably could have raised during that inter partes review.
(2)Civil actions and other proceedings.— The petitioner in an inter partes review of a claim in a patent under this chapter that results in a final written decision under section 318(a), or the real party in interest or privy of the petitioner, may not assert either in a civil action arising in whole or in part under section 1338 of title 28 or in a proceeding before the International Trade Commission under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 that the claim is invalid on any ground that the petitioner raised or reasonably could have raised during that inter partes review.
擬修訂的CFR：37 CFR 1.510(b)(6) and (b)(7)
36 CFR § 1.510 Request for ex parte reexamination.
(b) Any request for reexamination must include the following parts:
(6) A certification by the third party requester that the statutory estoppel provisions of 35 U.S.C. 315(e)(1) or 35 U.S.C. 325(e)(1) do not prohibit the requester from filing the ex parte reexamination request.
As adopted, § 1.510(b)(6) requires that a third party request for
ex parte
reexamination contain a certification by the third party requester that the statutory estoppel provisions of
inter partes
review and post-grant review at 35 U.S.C. 315(e)(1) or 35 U.S.C. 325(e)(1), respectively, do not bar the third party from requesting
ex parte
reexamination.
The proposed § 1.510(b)(7) statement requiring identification of all real parties in interest to the
ex parte
reexamination request is expected to provide more efficient and effective evaluation of the estoppel provisions while still maintaining the confidentiality of a requester's identity as required by 35 U.S.C. 301(e) and 302.
附上手寫筆記：
Ron
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