专利授权确权案件中公知常识的证明

Burden of Proof of the Common General Knowledge in Patent Reexamination and Invalidation Cases

公知常识可以界定为本领域技术人员知晓的本领域技术知识以及"众所周知的事实",《审查指南》规定之外的其他能够证明公知常识的证据形式也应当予以考虑。在专利授权案件中,专利复审委员会应当对其认定的公知常识负举证责任,而在专利确权案件中,专利复审委员会应当对无效请求人主张的以及专利复审委员会依职权认定的公知常识的正确认定负举证责任。如果对未在行政程序中提交的公知常识补充证据不予采信,将会导致当事人彻底丧失救济途径,则可以有条件地采纳新的公知常识的证据。

The common general knowledge includes technologies generally known to a person skilled in the art and matters clear from empirical rules, and other forms of evidence outside of the Patent Examination Guidelines should be considered. The Patent Reexamination Board should bear the burden of proof of the common general knowledge they approved in patent reexamination, and should bear the burden of proof of the common general knowledge they approved ex officio in patent invalidation. The proof of the common general knowledge should be accepted only the rejection of the new evidence of the common general knowledge would lead to the complete loss of channels for relief.