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1、.TheEuropeanPatentConvention(EPC)?????歐洲專利公約(EPC)Currently,forICT-relatedinventionsthetwomostimportantareastoobtainpatentprotectionareprobablytheUnitedStatesandWest-Europeancountries.TwentyEuropeancountriesarecurrentlymembertotheEuropeanPatentConvention,anditispossibletoobtainpatentpr
2、otectioninthosecountriesthroughasingleprocedurebeforetheEuropeanPatentOffice.目前,與信息通訊技術(shù)相關(guān)的兩個最重要的領(lǐng)域的發(fā)明,其專利的保護一般都是通過進入美國和西歐等國家獲取的。歐洲專利公約當前加入了20個新成員國,并使申請人在向歐洲專利局提交申請之前能夠通過某單一程序向所在成員國申請專利保護。Whilequiteafewaspectsofpatentlawhavebeenharmonizedinternationally(notintheleastduetotreatiesliketh
3、ePatentCooperationTreatyorTRIPS),therestillaremanyimportantdifferencesbetweenthetwosystems.Thisarticlediscussesseveralofthem.?雖然,專利法中有相當幾個方面的內(nèi)容已經(jīng)做了國際化的協(xié)調(diào)與統(tǒng)一(不完全與《專利合作條約》以及《與貿(mào)易有關(guān)的知識產(chǎn)權(quán)協(xié)議》相同),但美歐兩個系統(tǒng)間仍舊存在重要的差異,本文就其差異做出以下幾點概括。Firsttofileversusfirsttoinvent先申請制VS先發(fā)明制Whentwopeopleapplyforap
4、atentonthesameinvention,thefirstpersontohavefiledhisapplicationwillgetthepatent(assumingtheinventionispatentable,ofcourse).Thisholdsevenifthesecondpersondidinfactcomeupwiththeinventionfirst.Theonlythingthatcountsisthefilingdate.?若兩名當事人就同一個發(fā)明分別申請專利權(quán),那么率先提出申請者將獲得該專利權(quán)(假設該發(fā)明確認是具有可專利性的)。由此
5、認為,盡管此項發(fā)明是由第二個申請人先提出的,但僅以提交申請的日期為準。IntheUSA,aslightlydifferentapproachisused.Incaseoftwoapplicationsforthesameinvention(aso-calledinterference),adeterminationismadewhoinventeditfirst.Thisusuallyinvolvesexamininglaboratorylogbooks,establishingdatesforprototypes,andsoon.Ifthepersonwhofi
6、ledlaterisfoundtohaveinventedearlier,hemaybeawardedthepatent.而美國則使用了稍微不同的方法。為了避免兩位申請人申請同一發(fā)明的專利(即所謂的干擾),于是由先發(fā)明制決定專利權(quán)的所屬人。依據(jù)通常包括:檢查實驗室研發(fā)日記,專利原型的創(chuàng)建日期等。如果后申請人能證明是其先做此發(fā)明的,也有獲得專利權(quán)的可能。Graceperiod寬限期Iftheinventionhasbecomepubliclyavailableinanywaybeforethepatentapplicationwasfiled,theapplicat
7、ionwillberejected(Article54EPC)."Publiclyavailable"includessellingtheinvention,givingalectureaboutit,showingittoaninvestorwithoutanon-disclosureagreement(NDA),publishingitinamagazine,andsoon.Itdoesnotmakeadifferencewhetherthepersonmakingitpubliclyavailableistheinventor,oneoftheinvento
8、rs,or