专利技术许可中不质疑条款的法律规制

Legal Regulation of Non-Challenge Clauses in Patented Technology Licensing

专利技术许可中的不质疑条款可能掩盖了无效专利的存在,使得被许可人为无效专利支出了不合理的许可费,并可能产生阻碍技术市场竞争和创新的后果,但不质疑条款的存在也可能产生降低许可费、促进专利技术许可和运用等积极后果。法律不应对不质疑条款作出禁止性规定,应将其视为合同法上的可撤销条款。对不质疑条款的规制一般应运用专利法和合同法,而当不质疑条款产生非法限制竞争、阻碍技术进步后果时,则应运用反垄断法对其进行规制。

Non-challenge clauses in patented technology licensing that may conceal invalid patents can lead licensees to pay unreasonable royalties and hamper competition that otherwise would stimulate innovation.However,they can also have positive effects of promoting patent licensing and application.They should be considered revocable clauses in contract law rather than prohibited provisions in law.Patent law and contract law are commonly applied to the regulation of non-challenge clauses,on which anti-monopoly law is supposed to implement regulation if they restrict competition and hamper new technology.