信息披露与中药商业秘密保护

The Coordination between the Information Disclosure and the Protection of Trade secrets in Traditional Chinese Medicine

在药品的知识产权保护体系中,中药与西药的差异使专利制度逐渐凸显出在中药领域保护效用的不力,相形之下,商业秘密的现实优势使其在该领域有广阔的适用空间。但是在运行过程中,基于公众健康安全的维护和公共利益抗辩规则的适用,中药商业秘密面临着信息披露与公开的压力。矛盾的存在会动摇商业秘密制度生存的根基,而解决之道则在于厘清公共利益与私人利益之间的价值选择关系,并在具体的制度设计中有效划分信息的边界及利益相关者的层次,以实现相关信息向适当利益之人的披露,维护中药商业秘密的正当性。

In the intellectual property system in pharmaceuticals, the characteristics of Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) makes it's difficult to be properly protected by patent system. While the system of trade secrets fits it well. It can give enough protection to TCM and should be applied broadly. But in this process, the system of trade secrets on TCM faces the big challenge form the rules of the public-interest defence, due to the need of protecting the public health. Whether the related information should be disclosed or protected is in controversy, which will shake the foundation of trade secrets. In order to find the effective solution, we should balance the interests between public and individuals, disclose the different information to different subjects. This kind of limited disclosure is helpful to both the public and the private,and it will do good to the development of the system of trade secrets in TCM.