欧洲专利统一化 往前迈进一大步 http://tw.naipo.com/portals/1/web_tw/Knowledge_Center/Laws/Others-26.htm Charl Goussard／北美智权法规研究组 李淑莲 中文翻译／北美智权报编辑部 2013.01.03 欧洲的专利制度於2012年12月11日迈入了跨国家 (Supranational) 的历史性里程碑：欧盟 议会在这一天通过了2项法规草案，促成了单一专利及单一专利法院的建立。 除了义大利与西班牙之外，其余欧盟25国已全数同意实行单一专利及单一专利法院。 时间点 2013年2月18日：单一专利结构协约之预定签署日 2014年1月1日：单一专利制度（专利申请程序及单一专利法院）预计将於2014年1月1日强 制生效；或是如果在2014 年1月1日之後只有第13个会员国追认该协约者， 则单一专利结构协约将於第13个会员国追认後的4个月第1天生效。 单一专利 即将实施的单一专利可以让获得欧洲专利局（EPO）授权通过的专利在25个欧盟会员国得到 专利保护。单一专利的申请及授权工作由EPO根据EPO相关条款规定执行，因此，其申请及 授权过程与目前现有的欧洲专利（由EPO申请核淮）是一模一样的。唯一不同的是，一旦获 得专利授权，只要申请人提出请求，其专利即会自动於25个欧盟会员国生效。 单一专利将依循EPO要求的申请语言制度，可以用英文、法文或德文来申请专利。唯一的翻 译要求就是当如果专利权之语言为法文或是德文，则说明书必须翻译成英文；如果语言为 英语，则仅须把说明书翻译成25个会员国中其中一国的官方语言即可。 EPO将於新法生效前公布详细申请程序及申请费用。 单一专利法院 目前，专利诉讼在欧洲是在国家层级下进行的；因此欧洲专利诉讼明显是复杂且难解的， 因为包涵了费用昂贵、判决差异的可能性、及法律确定性的需求。然而，单一专利法院制 度将消除这些困难，因该法庭对欧洲专利与单一专利的诉讼，拥有专属管辖权。 单一专利法院之成员将包括第一初审法院 (Court of First Instance)、上诉法院 (Appeals Court ) 及一登记处。第一初审法院将分别坐落於巴黎、伦敦及慕尼黑；而上诉 法院则位於卢森堡。 结论： EPO预计第一个单一专利将於2014产生。 日後持有之单一专利，除可在25个欧盟会员国同时间取得专利保护外，也可藉由单一专利 法院的法律强制力，使欧洲专利与美国专利能够并驾齐驱。 European Parliament Agrees on Unified Patent and Unified Patent Court On the 11th of December 2012 a historic milestone was reached in the path to a supranational patent system for Europe: The European Parliament adopted two draft regulations for the establishment of the unitary patent and Unified Patent Court. With the exception of Italy and Spain, the remaining 25 European Union states have agreed on adapting the unitary patent and Unified Patent Court. Timeline: 18th of February 2013: Expected signing of the agreement for the formation of the Unified Patent. 1st of January 2014: It is expected that the unified patent system (Patent Application Process and Unified Patent Court) will enter into force; or if the 13th member state only ratifies the agreement after the 1st of January 2014, then on the 1st day of the 4th month after ratification by the 13th state. Unitary Patent: The unitary patent will afford patent protection in 25 EU member states, after grant by the EPO. The Unitary application will be administered by the EPO under the provisions of rules and regulations of the EPO. Thus, the application and grant process is identical to that of the current European Patent (by the EPO). The difference is that once granted, upon request by the applicant, the patent will be automatically valid in 25 member states. Unitary patents will follow the language regime of the EPO, allowing for patent prosecution in English, French or German. The only translation required will be : if the application language is French or German, then the specification has to be translated into English; if the application language is English, then the specification has to be translated into the official language of any one of the 25 member states. Details of procedures and fees will be released by the EPO in due time. Unified Patent Court: Currently, patent litigation in Europe has to be conducted on a national level. It is thus apparent that obscurities surrounding patent litigation in Europe include high costs, the possibility of diverging judgments, and the need for legal certainty. The Unified Patent Court (UPC) will ease these difficulties, by having exclusive jurisdiction over litigation involving European patents and unitary patents. The UPC will consist of a Court of First Instance, an Appeals Court, and a Registry. The Court of First Instance will have seats in Paris, London and Munich. The UPC’s Appeals Court will be seated in Luxembourg. Conclusion: The EPO expects to validate the first unitary patent in 2014! The treatment of the unitary patent as a single patent in 25 European states, and its enforceability through the Unified Patent Court, brings European patent competitiveness in line with the US Patent System. ** this article will be supplemented by detailed information regarding the procedures and fee schedule of the unitary patent once it is available --

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