最新消息:欧盟专利申请的重大变化
2024-02-06
来源:爱够旅游网
商业战略 Business Strategy 最新消息:欧盟专利申请的 在一 重大变化 巴德勒知识产权律师事务所(Bardehle Pagenberg) ̄Christopher BrOckner ̄1] Thomas Friedeit ̄j名知识产权律lJ币对最近欧洲 专利法的一些重要变动进行报导 Stop press:vital changes for EU patent applican Leading intellectual property lawyers Christopher BrUckner and Thomas Friede of Bardehle Pagenberg report on some important changes to the latest European patent laws 2007年1 2月1 3日,欧洲专利公约(EPO)的新规定开始生 效。而自N,,-t起,该法律体系还引进了几项修订,简化 位于德国城市慕尼黑的欧洲专利局。巴 德勒知识产权律师事务所即坐落于该市 The European Patent 0ffice in Munich,the German city where Bardehle Pagenberg is based 了申请过程,为申请人提供了便利。在此,我们对与专 的几项修订作一大致了解。笔者将先列出欧洲专利法中 O n December 1 3.2007 the new regulations of the Eu ropean Patent Convention(EPC)came in force.But since then.a feW amendments have been introduced into this legal system in order to make the application process easier and more convenient for the applicant.Here we give you a short overview on the amendments relevant for application. 几项最重要的变动,并说明申请人如何从中受益。 第五十二条第一款:一切技术均可享有专利权 本条款系根据《与贸易有关的知识产权协定》(TRIPS)第二十七 利权”。 The authors will first outline the most important changes in the Eu ropean Patent Law and how the applicant can benefit from 条改编,内容为:“一切技术领域的所有发明创造均可享有欧洲专 those changes. Article 52(1):Patents for all technologies 第五十二条第四款:政治意向 三条第三款。本条规定不包括医疗方法的专利性。现根据2000年 《欧洲专利公约》第五十三条第三款,对专利性有一条明显的特殊 规定,这一特殊规定符合本条款潜在的政治意向,出于满足公共卫 而受至U限带U。 The wording of this a rticle was adapted to a rticle 27 of PS.SO that a rticle now reads”Eu ropean patents shall be 原《欧洲专利公约》第五十二条第四款的内容被转移至第五十 TRIgranted for any inventions,in all fields of technology : Article 52(41:Political intention 生需要的原因.本规定旨在保证医学诊断及治疗不因专利法的制定 The content of former article 52(41 EPC has been transferred to Art 53(c).This jS the provision which excludes medica}methods from patentability.Now.under Article 53(c)ofthe EPC 2000.there iS an explicit exception from patentability,which corresponds to the underlvinq politicaI intention of this provision—to ensure. 第五十四条第四款:破坏新颖性 1 973年《欧洲专利公约》中,第五十四条第四款中提到,对于 public health reasons,that reedicaI diagnosis and treatment 较早提出的欧洲申请仅在申请处于紧要关头且申请由各缔约国一致 for指定的情况下才具有优先权。现在,如果优先申请在相关欧洲专利 申请提出日之后公开,那么所有考虑中的欧洲专利申请之前提出的 are free of restrictions resuIting from patent law. 欧洲专利申请均视为是世界当前的科技水平。或者.通俗地说,一 Article s4(4):Destroying novelty According to EPC 1 973,a pri’or European application 项根据第五十四条第三款提出仅指定一个缔约国的欧洲专利申请现 在可以使所有欧洲国家的申请不具有新颖性。 according to previous Article 54(4)became a prior right only 58 PHARMA TECHNOLOGY・医药技术 商业战略 Business Steotegy Thomas Friede是德国慕尼 黑巴德勒知识产权律师事务 insofa r that the application at stake and the prior appllcation 所的专利律师 had designations of contracting states in common.Now Thomas Friede is European Patent alI European patent applications filed before the Eu ropean Attorney,German Patent patent application in question a re included in state of the art. Attorney at Bardehle Pagenberg,Munich, provided that the prior applications were published after the Germany date of fiIing of the Eu ropean patent application concerned.Or. to make t more deseriptive。a Eu ropean appllcation according to Article 54[31 designating orlly one contractlng state can now 产品有限次数使用保护 destroy novelty for alI applications in aII European countries. 一项深入革新就是根据第五十四条第五款,对两次或两次以上 用于医疗目的已知物质进行产品有限次数使用保护。未来,申请人 Use—limited product protection 可为此类发明起草产品有限使用次数规定,而不采用欧洲专利法中 A fu rther innovation is the use of limited product protection 一直用于第二次医疗使用的瑞士型权利要求。 for a second or further medicaI USe of a known substance under the new Article 54(51 EPC.In futu re.applicants may d raft use- 优先权 limited product claims for such inventions instead of the Swiss 需要指出的是,现在,来I ̄WTO成员国(非巴黎公约缔约方)以提 type claims.which up to now have been the standa rd claims for 出欧洲专利申请为目的的优先权也同样得到了认可。 second medicaI uses Under the Eu ropean patent Iaw. 保护程度 Priorities 2000年《欧洲专利公约》的另一要点是第六十九条,该条规 It also should be mentioned that now priorities from states which 定了欧洲专利的保护程度,并拟定了第六十九条的解释标准。 are WTO—members but not parties to the Paris convention are also 该条现表达为:“保护范围根据要求而定”,此处删除了“由条 recognised for the purpose of filing European patent applications. 款”几个字。 Extent of protection 第一百三十八条 Another hiqhIiqht of the EPC 2000 is Article 69,which 本条款现在明确指出,欧洲专利的限制在国家撤销程序中已成 determines the extent of protection of European patents.and 为可能,所有人仅能通过有限的方式为其专利进行保护。 the protocoI on interpretation of Article 69.The provision now reads:“The scope of protection is determined by the claims”. 有关提请日期的要求 whereby the words“by the terms”have been deleted. 根据新条款,要得到申请的提交日期仅需三项条件:申请人必 须指明需要申请欧洲专利:EPO必须获取能识别申请人身份的信息, Article 138 或准许办公室同申请人取得联系;申请人须提交一份有关发明的说 This article now clearly provides that the limitation of 明书。 Eu ropean patents is possible in national revocation proceedings. 这表明对提交日期将不再有一致性的要求。甚至获取提交日期 where the proprietor may decide to defend his patent only in 也不需要提交发明描述。申请人可通过推荐参考之前提交的申请, limited f0rm. 来代替说明书及相关绘图,这样只需说明之前申请的提交El期、号 码以及收到提交的工业产权局即可。申请人还可声明,该参考不仅 Date—of-filinq requirements 能够代替说明书和绘图,还能代替各项要求。 Under the new provisions.only three things are needed to get the date of filing:the applicant must indicate that a European 未来, 申请人可为此类发 Patent iS sought;the EP0 must get some information identifyinq the applicant or allowing the o仟ice to contact the applicant;and 明起草产品有限使用次数 the applicant must file a description of the invention. Ihismeansthatnoclaimsare requiredanymorefortheaccordance of the filing date.Even filing the description of the invention is not 要求, 而不使用欧洲专利 necessary for getting the date of filing.The applicant may replace a description and any drawings by reference to a previously filed 法中一直用于第二次医疗 application.by simply stating the filing date of that application.its number and the industriaI propem Ofrice with which it was filed. 使用的瑞士型权利要求 And he may also declare that this reference replaces not only the description and any drawings but also the claims. 医药技术・PHARMA TECHNOLOGY 59 商业战略 Business Strategy Centrallimitation The new central limitation procedure ca rl only be initiated upon request of the patent proprietor.No other parties will Christopher BrOckner; ̄德国慕尼黑巴德勒知识产权 律师事务所的专利律师 Christopher BrOckner is German Patent Attorney at Bardehle Pagenberg,Munich,Germany be involved.The limitation ls done by amending the claims; If necessa ry.the patent proprietor can aIso flle an amend description or amended drawings.If you can Iimit a patent.you can Iimit it to zero and request centraI revocation.The request for limitation or revocation wilI be deemed not to have been 中央限制 新的中央限制程序仅在专利所有人提出要求的情况下才能启 动。其他各方均不得参与。通过修订请求完成限制程序;必要时, 专利所有人还能提交修订说明或修订后的绘图。若能限制专利,就 能限制到零并请求中央撤销。在提交限制或撤销申请时,若对该专 利有正在进行的异议诉讼程序,则视为未提交。 filed,if opposition proceedings against the respective patents are pending at the time of filing the request. Article 11 2a: Any party adversely affected by decision of the Boa rd of Appeal may file a petition for review.to be examined by the Enla rged Boa rd of Appea1.The g rounds for such a petition are 第一百一十二条第一款: 受上诉委员会决定产生不利影响的任何一方均可提交审查申 restricted.These g rounds a re,in pa rticular.a wrong composition of the Boa rd.or a fundamentaI violation of Article 11 3一the 请,其申请将由扩大上诉委员会进行检查。申请存在条件限制,主 要是委员会组成不当,或违反第一百一十三条发表意见的权力。 right to be heard. It is necessa ry that the appetlant has aI ready raised the 如有可能,上诉人须在上诉到委员会之前已经提出抗议。第一 率较小的不测事件进行补救,以及决定可能受到犯罪行为影响的这 一objection.if possible,before the Boa rd of Appea1.The petition in this context it is,of cou rse.appropriate to cater for an eventuality that wiII hopefully be ra re—the possibility that a criminal act may have had an impact on the decision:in review on the Article 1 1 2a is an exceptional remedy.and 百一十二条中的审查申请是特别的补救措施,且该情况适用于对概 for可能性,尤其是作伪证或伪造文件。 进一步处理 进一步处理现为时间限制的标准补救措施,无需遵守授予程 pa rticula r.perju ry or forgery of documents. Further processing Fu rther processing is now the standa rd remedy for time 序。第一百三十五条第二款列出的数个时间限制中不包括进一步处 理的过程。 limit and g rant proceedings a re not observed.Rule 1 35(2)lists 权力恢复 现在您可以在优先年恢复权力:该请求须在第八十七条第一款 中期限(即优先年)到期后的两个月内提交。 Re-establishment of rights A new feature is that you can now re—establish rights in the priority year.This request has to be filed within two months of a number of time limits were fu rther proceedings excluded. 节约翻译成本 2000年《欧洲专利公约》生效之前,申请工作过程中产生费用最 expiry of the period under Article 87(1)一that is.the priority year ̄ Savinq translation cost UntiI EPC 2000.one of the most expensive pa rts of the application process was the translation of the application into 多的方面之一就是将申请文本翻译成各成员国的官方语言。现在这 申请工作中费用最多的 the severaI languages of the member states.1his process has been changed.The state parties of the London Ag reement. 方面之一就是将申请文 本翻译成备成员国的官 方语言。 现在这一过程 有所改变 having an official language in common with one of the official lanquages of the Eu ropean Patent Office.dispend with the translation requi rements. Any state pary tto this agreement.having no officiaI language in common with one of the o仟icial languages of the European Patent 0仟ice.dispenses with the former translation requl rements. but continues to have the right to require that a translation of the claims into one of their official languages be supplied。Due to this waiver for translation by many Contracting States.the costs for a European Patent have been signiifcantly reduced. 60 PHARMA TECHNOLOGY・医药技术 商业战略 Business St ̄utegy 过程有所改变。 《伦敦协议》的缔约国仅选用欧洲专利局诸多官 方语言中的一种语言作为共同的官方语言,从而免除了翻译需求。 ~Fees Independently frOm EPC 2000.the system of fees has been 该协议的任何缔约国家若没有与欧洲专利局诸多官方语言相同 的官方语言,则均无需进行翻译,但仍有权要求提供以本国一种官 changed.For European applications filed and internationaI applications entering the regional phase on or after April 1.2008. 方语言为译本的请求。由于多个缔约国不再需要翻译工作,这就大 大节省了欧洲专利的成本。 the claim fees for the 1 6th and each subsequent claim is raised. The fee iS EUR 200.It should be noted that as of April1.2009 the EPO wilI require the payment of EUR 500 for the 51 st and each subsequentcJa_『 .EspecjalJyapp Jjcatj0nscOncernjng biotechnology inventions should be drafted bearing this faet in mind.Or,in other words.now it's worth thinking about transporting part of the claims to the description to save fees.This can stilI be done when 费用 2000年《欧洲专利公约》中,费用系统也有所改动。于2008年 4,91日或之后提交的欧洲申请或进入区域阶段的国际申请、第1 6次 或之后的申请费用均有所提高,费用为200欧元。值得注意的是,从 500欧元。特别是有关生物技术发明的申请须对此做好心理准备。也 申请在进入欧洲阶段时也可如此。 总之,新的欧洲专利立法中有显著的实质性变动及程序变动。 特别是,简化的欧洲专利提交程序、新授予后的限制程序以及进 步处理程序的放开、再加上翻译成本的大幅降低,这些将为医药 创新的专利保护提供重要的优势以并提高其效率。详情请访问: 一2009年4月1日起,欧洲专利局将要求第51次及之后的申请费用涨到 entering the regional phase in Europe. Overal1.the new European patent legislation provides some the simpliied EP patent ffiling.the new post—grant Iimitation procedu re.and the relaxation of fu rther processing together with a signiifcant cut—down in the translation costs wilI confer important advantages and jncreased efficiency for the patent protection of pha rmaceuticaf innovation.For fu rther details please visit OU r homepage at WWW.bardehIe.com.Inquiries gnifieant SUbstantive and proceduraI changes.In pa rticuIa r. 就是说,现在可以考虑将部分请求转变为说明书以节省费用。国际 siWWW ba rdoh I e com。如有咨询,请发邮件至:thomas f r i ede@ ba rdehIe com。 shouId be sent to:thomas。friede⑥ba rdehle.corn.■ P10Ugmann&Vingtoft inteIIectual p roperty consulting Www.pv.eu