周伯翰

中文摘要

在專利審查與專利審判中，進步性（非顯而易見性）之判斷 經常出現爭議卻又缺乏客觀化與普遍化之適用標準，所以關於進 步性之判斷標準向來為專利實務界與司法實務界所關注之議題， 因此專利實務界與司法實務界不斷謀求明確且合宜之標準以適用 於判斷系爭請求項是否具有進步性。 美國的判例法對於進步性之判斷標準的法律見解歷經數次變 動，而美國專利商標局乃配合該等法律見解修正其公布的「專利 審查程序手冊」之內容；此外，台灣的司法實務界與智慧財產局 對於進步性之判斷標準經常會參考美國的判例法及美國專利商標局修正公布的「專利審查程序手冊」建立的法律原則。 因此本文將就美國有關進步性之判斷標準的重要案例及相關 規定加以分析與說明，並就台灣有關進步性之判斷標準的重要案 例及相關規定加以分析與說明，再就美國與台灣有關進步性之判 斷標準進行充分地比較與深入地分析，以便就有關進步性之判斷 標準歸納整理出較為清晰且適當的法律原則，以供台灣的司法實 務界與智慧財產局在審理有關進步性之爭議案件時參考。

The Study Related to the Judgement Standards of the Inventive Step of Patents in the United States and Taiwan

Bo-Han Jou

abstract

In the patent examination and patent trial, the judgement of the inventive step (nonobviousness) of patents often appears controversies, but the judgement of the inventive step of patents lacks the applicable standards for objectification and universalization, so the judgement standards of the inventive step of patents are always the concerned issues to the patent practitioners and judicial practitioners. Therefore, the patent practitioners and judicial practitioners constantly seek clear and appropriate standards in order to apple to judge whether the disputed claims have the inventive step of patents. The U.S. case laws related to the legal opinions about the judgement standards of the inventive step of patents have changed several times, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office modifies the content of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure in order to match such legal opinions; moreover, Taiwan’s judicial practitioners and the Intellectual Property Office deciding the judgement　standards of the inventive step of patents usually refer to the legal principles from the U.S. case laws and the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure modified and published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Consequently, above all, this article will analyze and explain the important cases and relative provisions related to the judgement standards of the inventive step of patents in the United States; this article will analyze and explain the important cases and relative provisions related to the judgement standards of the inventive step of patents in Taiwan; then, this article will fully compare and deeply analyze the judgement standards of the inventive step of patents in the United States and Taiwan, so as to summarize and organize relatively clear and appropriate legal principles related to the judgement standards of the inventive step of patents, so that when the Taiwan’s judicial practitioners and the Intellectual Property Office try the disputed cases related to the inventive step of patents, such legal principles can be referred.