Akamai案审理对云计算方法专利侵权判定的启示

The Implications of Akamai Case to the Method Patent Infringement in Cloud Computing

Akamai案中,美国联邦巡回上诉法院在无单一方直接侵权的情况下做出了引诱侵权成立的全席判决,实施了对专利权的强保护;而联邦最高法院重审认为这动摇了专利侵权的全要件基石,需由立法规定。考虑到通过安排多方参与来逃避侵权责任的情形确实存在,云计算领域中撰写也不能完全回避多方参与,从美国判例看,解决云计算多方参与方法专利侵权认定难题的可能路径是放宽这种情形下直接侵权的判定标准。我国的应对措施可以是建立无意思联络的共同侵权责任规则,这样既阻塞了多方参与实施专利以规避侵权责任的漏洞,又满足了直接侵权的全要件原则,免除了无过错方的责任。

In Akamai case,United Sates Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit convicted the inducing infringement by full house decision under the circumstance if no direct infringement of single-party,implementing a strong protection over patent. However,U. S. Supreme Court re-trialed the case,claiming it shook the all-elements foundation of patent infringement and should be prescribed by the legislation. Considering the infringement issues of Cloud Computing method patent with multiple actors,the varied judgments in Akamai case reflect that the induced infringement rule is invalid.The paper suggests that the joint tort rule without collusion is available to deal with the divided infringement situations in Cloud Computing Patent. It not only blocks the loophole of evading liability by dividing performance of a method patent＇s steps,meets the requirement that the patent is not infringed unless all the steps are carried out,but also not involves the innocent party.