论外观设计专利的整体观察、综合判断原则

Doctrine of Overall Observation and Comprehensive Assessment for Design Patent

外观设计专利的确权和侵权判断均采用整体观察、综合判断原则。根据这一原则,所有设计特征在外观设计专利的确权和侵权判断中均发挥相应的作用。外观设计专利区别于现有设计的设计特征,虽然往往对产品外观的整体视觉效果更具有影响,但这并不能否认其他设计特征对外观设计整体视觉效果的作用。"授权性设计特征"的表述反映了法院保护设计创新的思想,但是容易引起误解,导致忽略其他设计特征在外观设计专利的确权和侵权判断中的作用。

The doctrine of overall observation and comprehensive assessment applies both in assessing patentability of a design patent and in finding design patent infringement. This doctrine requires that all design features of a design patent is considered in said two scenarios. Normally, those design features distinguishing a patented design from prior designs have more impact to the overall visual effect of the patented design, which, however, doesn’t mean that the remaining features make no sense in assessing the overall visual effect of the patented design. The term ＂patentability-related design features＂ does demonstrate that the court is inclined to pay more attention to the innovation portion of a patented design, elsewhere it readily causes misunderstanding and neglect of the impact of the remaining design features to say overall visual effect.