關於專利審查指南最新修改的專家解讀

Expert Interpretation of Recent Amendments to the Guidelines of Patent Examination

2016年10月底,《國家知識産權局關於修改<專利審查指南>的决定(徵求意見稿)》在政府網站公佈亚公開徵求意見,立即引起業内的高度關庄和普遍好評。2017年2月,《國家知識産權局關於修改<專利審查指南>的决定》經局務會審議通週,2月28日申長雨局長簽署國家知識産權局令第七十四號正式公佈,自2017年4月1日起施行。專利審查指南依照專利法及其實施細則制定,是專利局和專利複審委属會依法行政的依據和標準,同時,也要對審查實踐中亟待解决的問題做出及時回應,並落實黨中央國務院對知識産權保護的新要求。爲此,自1993年第一版審查指南發佈後,先後在2001年、2006年和2010年進行了全面修訂。目前正值專利法及其實施細則的第四次修改週程中,在此時機,針對業内一直關注的熱點、重點問題,對專利審查指南適時做出修改,對於完善知識産權保護制度,滿足在新技術、新形勢下創新主體的專利保護需求,意義十分重大。本刊有幸獨家中英文苜發參與此次指南修改的權威專家做出的關於專利審查指南最新修改的全面解讀,全文共分七個部分,其中,涉及商業模式保護,軟件專利中的若干問題,如涉及"軟硬結合"的計算機軟件的權利要求撰寫方式、"程序模塊"替代"功能模塊",捕充實驗數據的審查原則,無效宣告程序中關於權利要求的修改方式、關於請求人再次捕充證據的要求等,以及關於專利文件信息查閲、中止程序的續展等。本次修改堅持問題導向,集中回應了業内長期關注和争論的問題,爲配合專利法第四次修改的指南全面修改,奠定了堅實的基礎。第一部分和第七部分作者是國家知識産權局(以下簡稱國知局)條法司的吕德軍和國知局專利局審查業務管理部的張憲鋒,主要介紹指南修改的必要性和起草週程,以及後續安排等;第二部分是關於涉及商業模式的修改,作者是來自國知局專利複審委員會的李熙;第三部分涉及計算機程序的發明專利申讀審查的修改,作者是國知局電學發明審查部的李永紅;第四部分涉及化學領域發明專利申請審查的若干規定的修改,具體涉及如何審查化學領域的專利申請在申睛曰之後捕交實驗數據的問題,作者是來自國知局專利複審委員會的李越;第五部分涉及無效宣告請求的審查的修改,作者是國知局專利複審委員會的閭雷;第六部分涉及專利申請文檔查閲、複製和中止程序的修改,作者是國知局專利局初審及流程管理部的梁素玲。本刊還要特别感謝國知局專利局審查業務管理部周胡斌和國知局條法司胡安琪對本文的策劃所做的積極協調和統稿校對工作。

At the end of October 2016,the SIPO's Decision to Amend the Guidelines for Patent Examination(Draft for Comments) was posted on the official website for soliciting public opinions,which immediately aroused high attention and praises in the IP field. The SIPO's Decision to Amend the Guidelines for Patent Examination has been deliberated and adopted at the affairs conference of SlPO in February 2017,was officially published on 28 February 2017 after SlPO Commissioner Shen Changyu signed the Order No.74 and will be promulgated and enforced on 1 April 2017. The Guidelines for Patent Examination(hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines) formulated according to the Patent Law and the Implementing Regulations of the Patent Law are the basis and reference for administration by law by the SIPO and the Patent Reexamination Board,and give a timely response to the issues to be urgently solved in practice,and fulfill the new requirements for IP protection set by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. Ever since 1993 when the Guidelines(1st edition) were issued,the Guidelines had been fully revised in 2001,2006 and 2010. On theopportune occasion of the Fourth Amendment to the Patent Law and the Implementing Regulations thereof,the timely amendment of the Guidelines for addressing the hot and key issues in the IP field is of vital significance in improvingthe IP protection system and satisfying the needs of innova-tive entities for IP protection of new technologies under newsituations. It is such an honor for China Patents & Trade-marks to have an exclusive right to publish an article relatedto the interpretations of latest amendments to the Guide?lines made by authoritative experts in both Chinese andEnglish. The article consists of seven parts,covering issuesregarding business model protection,software-related pat-ents,drafting of claims in 「elation to computer software which takes advantage of "both hardware and software",replacement of "function module(s)'' with ''program module(s)'',examining rules for supplemented experimental data,manners of claim amendment in the invalidation proceed-ings,requirements for evidence later supplemented by peti-tioners,consultation of patent documents,and extension ofsuspension procedure. This amendment of the Guidelinesadheres to the problem-oriented principle,responds to thelong-standing and controversial issues in the IP field,andestablishes a solid foundation for the full revision of theGuidelines in line with the Fourth Amendment to the PatentLaw-Parts I and VII are written by Lv Dejun from the TreatyLaw Division of SIPO and Zhang Xianfeng from the Examina-tion Administration Division of SIPO,and mainly for introduc-ing the necessity of amendment of the Guidelines,the draft-ing process and subsequent arrangements; Part II relatesto amendments to provisions on business models,and iswritten by Li Xi from the Patent Reexamination Board(PRB)of SIPO; Part III relates to amendments to provisions regard-ing examination of applications for computer program-relat-ed inventions,and is written by Li Yonghong from the Elec-trical Invention Examining Division of SIPO; Part IV relates toamendments to provisions on examination of invention applications in the field of chemistry and more particularly tohow to examine experimental data supplemented for appli-cations in the field of chemistry after the filing date,and iswritten by Li Yue from the PRB of SIPO; Part V relates toamendments to provisions on examination of request for declaration of invalidity,and is written by Wen Lei from the PRB of SIPO; and Part VI relates to amendments to provisions on procedures for consultation and photocopying of patent application files,and suspension procedure thereof,and is written by Liang Suling from the Preliminary Examination & Flow Management Division of SIPO.Our special gratitude also goes to Zhou Hubin from the Examination Administration Division of SIPO and Hu Anqi from the Treaty Law Division of SIPO for their active coordination and efforts in compilation and proofreading of this artide.