如何界定专利侵权诉讼中的“新产品”

How to Define ＂New Product＂ in Patent Infringement Procedure

《中华人民共和国专利法》第五十七条第二款规定：专利侵权纠纷涉及新产品制造方法的发明专利的,制造同样产品的单位或者个人应当提供其产品制造方法不同于专利方法的证明,即在上述情况下,实行举证责任倒置。《专利法》对于专利诉讼中举证责任分配之所以作出上述规定,主要是由于制造方法只是在产品的制造过程中使用,而权利人为了取得被控侵权人使用了该专利方法的认据,进入生产现场进行调查,是十分困难的。

Article 57, paragraph two of the Patent Law provides： ＂where any infringement dispute involves a patent for invention for a process for making a new product, any entity or individual making the identical product shall furnish proof to show that the process used in making his or its product is different from the patented process.＂ That is, under this circumstance, the burden of proof is reversed. This provision is set forth in the Patent Law concerning the distribution of burden of proof in patent procedure mainly because a process is only used in the cause of making a product, and it is very difficult for a rightholder to walk to a site of production for investigation to obtain evidence to show that an accused infringer has used his patented process.