外观设计审美判断规则的再体系化

Re-systematization of Aesthetic Judgment Rules of Appearance Design Law

《专利法》第2条规定了外观设计“富有美感”的授权要件,专利审查员、法官常常不得不进行相关的审美判断。由于对审美判断主观性的错误担忧,外观设计中的“守门人”规则正发生异化。以设计特征的非功能性来取代审美判断是最为典型的做法,功能性特征与装饰性特征的概念也逐渐成为外观设计的判断标准。为应对这一趋势,美国法院通过“两步测试法”为美学防御规则的适用开辟了道路,而欧盟法院则运用“因果关系”标准限制了功能原则的过度扩张。我国外观设计审美判断规则的再体系化应综合运用“客观观察者视角”“因果逻辑检验”以及“整体性评估”测试方法。

Article 2 of the Patent Law delineates the criteria for authorizing patents based on the“full of aesthetic feeling”of a design’s appearance.This provision necessitates that patent examiners and judges engage in aesthetic judgments.However,the inherent subjectivity of these judgments has led to a departure from the intended‘Gatekeeper’role in the domain of appearance design law.Conventionally,aesthetic judgment are being supplanted by an emphasis on the non-functionality of design elements.This shift has resulted in the dichotomy of functional versus ornamental features becoming the prevalent standard for evaluating appearance designs.In reaction to this evolution,United States courts have facilitated the implementation of defensive aesthetic judgment rules by adopting a“two-step test”.Concurrently,European Union courts have employed the“causality”criterion to curb the excessive application of functionalism.The re-systematization of Aesthetic Judgment Rules of Chinese Appearance Design Law needs to employ a comprehensive analytical framework comprised of distinct evaluative methodologies:the perspective of an objective observer,the application of causal logic,and an overall holistic assessment.