美国创造性判断之“市场力”原则的审查标准研究

Examination Standards for “market force” principle of Creative Judgement in USPTO

美国联邦最高法院在对KSR案的判决中首次提出一种新的“显而易见性”判断原则——“市场力”原则,用以弥补现有技术和本发明之间的差距。我国专利法和专利审查指南中并没有涉及“市场力”原则,为使读者全面清楚地了解“市场力”原则,文章介绍了“市场力”原则的概念,阐述了“市场力”原则的判断步骤和判断要素,并通过典型判例阐述了“市场力”原则的具体适用。

The U.S.Supreme Court proposed a new “obviousness” judgment principle — the “market force” principle for the fi rst time in the KSR judgment.The principle of “market force” may be applied to bridge the gap between the prior art and the invention.The principle of “market force”is not involved in Chinese patent law and the Guidelines for Patent Examination.In order to make readers understand the principle of “market force” completely and clearly,this article introduces the concept of the “market force” principle,expounds the judgment steps and elements of the “market force” principle,and illustrates the specific application of the “market force” principle through typical cases.