论美国专利侵权的不公平行为抗辩

Unfair act against patent tort in the United States

本来专利侵权诉讼的中心问题是专利的有效性,美国专利行使权的不公平行为抗辩则把焦点转向了专利发明人或者申请人专利的申请阶段。在向专利商标局专利申请期间,权利人违反了信息披露的诚信义务,专利在后来的侵权诉讼中实际上得不到保护。现行司法实践中有关此类诚信义务认定的标准还不统一,导致了不公平行为专利侵权抗辩案件判决的混乱。可以通过立法来统一法院和专利局判断不公平行为的标准,修改有关不公平行为主观要件的证明标准,细化对不公平行为的救济。

Inequitable conduct is an equitable doctrine that renders a patent unenforceable upon a finding that the patentee has breached the duty of candor and good faith owed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during prosecution of a patent application. The inequitable conduct doctrine should aim to ensure that examiners get the information they need to make the system work. A more pragmatic, disclosure-oriented approach would be more predictable and useful than the court＇s current approach.