专利侵权惩罚性赔偿适用研究

Research on the Application of Punitive Compensation for Patent Infringement

随着知识产权意识的不断提高,专利保护已成为我国促进创新发展的重要一环,2021年新《专利法》的出台,标志着我国专利领域正式引入了惩罚性赔偿制度,这无疑是专利保护领域的一大进步。惩罚性赔偿,本质上是对侵权行为的一种负面评价,旨在通过向公众传达对侵权行为的谴责,发挥其震慑、警示、矫正及预防等多重作用,但这些年该制度在司法实践中的适用率不高,尚存在一系列问题亟待解决。首先,对于专利侵权惩罚性赔偿的适用要件,现有的认定规则过于笼统,需要进一步完善适用要件的认定规则,厘清“主观故意”的认定,可以适用专利侵权警告函制度,同时细化“情节严重”认定的参考因素。其次,对于惩罚性赔偿的计算规则需进一步明确,应当灵活计算惩罚赔偿金基数、在综合考量专利价值的基础上采用权重计算的方法确定惩罚性赔偿倍数。

As the awareness of intellectual property rights continues to increase,patent protection has become an important part of our country’s efforts to promote innovative development.The introduction of the new Patent Law in 2021 signifies that a punitive damages system has been officially incorporated into our country’s patent field,undoubtedly representing a significant advancement in the area of patent protection.Punitive damages fundamentally serve as a negative assessment of infringement acts,aiming to convey condemnation of infringement to the public and exerting a multitude of effects such as deterrence,warning,correction,and prevention.However,the application rate of the system in judicial practice has not been high over the years,and there remain a series of issues that need to be urgently addressed.Firstly,regarding the applicable conditions for punitive damages in patent infringement,the current rules for determination are too general and require further refinement.It is necessary to clarify the criteria for determining“willful infringement,”possibly through the application of a patent infringement warning letter system,as well as to detail reference factors for determining“serious circumstances.”Secondly,the calculation rules for punitive damages need to be further clarified.Flexible calculation of the basis for punitive damages should be adopted,and the punitive damages multiplier should be determined using a weighted calculation method after comprehensively considering the value of the patent.