确定标准必要专利许可费率的Top-down方法研究——以TCL案为例

A Study on the Top-down Methodology for Determining SEP Royalties

Top-down方法首先要求评估特定标准中所有必要专利的整体价值,即整体费率,再根据专利持有人所占份额确定许可费。由于专利实施者为标准所支付的使用费总额是一定的,Top-down方法可以避免费率堆叠、遏制私掠行为。在根据TCL案总结适用top-down方法基本思路的基础上,本文指出运用该方法的难点之一在于确定整体费率(Aggregate Royalty)的证据信息不足。在总结现有确定整体费率的基础上,本文认为事前联合谈判方式可能是确定整体费率的合法有效途径,从而为适用Top-down方法提出建议。

The Top-down methodology, above all, requires evaluating the entire value of all essential in a certain standard, i.e. the aggregate royalty, then deciding the license fee according to the shares held by asserting SEP holder. Since the total amount of royalty paid by patent enforcers is fixed, the top-down method can help to avoid royalty stacking and stop privateering. According to the basic steps of the topdown method concluded from the TCL case, this paper points out that insufficient evidence information in deciding aggregate royalty makes it more difficult to apply. This paper suggests that a preferable way for determining the appropriate aggregate royalty applicable to a particular standard could be joint negotiations among patent holders and potential manufacturers of standardized products, prior to the approval of the standard.