人工智能在欧洲专利局新规则下获专利权的机遇——两障碍判断法与COMVIK判断法

Opportunity for AI Patent under the New Rules of European Patent Office——Based on Double Barrier Judgment and COMVIK Approaches

人工智能技术正在引领全球新一轮科技革命和产业变革。近年来,全球各知识产权局均密集修订或制定针对人工智能相关专利的特殊判断标准。其中,欧洲专利局率先在其专利审查指南(2022版)中基于司法判例为计算机实施发明建立特殊判断法——两障碍判断法和COMVIK判断法。该文基于欧洲最新审查指南的修订,从专利实务的角度,通过对欧洲专利新规则和典型案例的解析,明晰欧洲涉及人工智能发明的最新专利确权标准,提出人工智能欧洲专利申请的撰写建议,以助力我国创新主体在欧洲海外获权。

Artificial Intelligence technology is leading a new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation.In recent years,intellectual property offices all over the world have intensively revised or formulated special examination standards for artificial intelligence-related patents.Among them,the European Patent Office(EPO)took the lead in its Guidelines for Examination(2022th edition)to establish special examination approaches for Computer-Implemented Inventions based on judicial precedents--the two-hurdle approach and the COMVIK approach.This paper is based on the revision of the latest Guidelines for Examination in the EPO,from the perspective of patent practice,through the analysis of the new European Patent rules and typical cases,clear the latest patent examination standards in the invention referring to artificial intelligence,propose suggestions of writing the European patent application for Artificial Intelligence in order to help innovative subjects gain patent rights overseas in Europe.