What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine too: Converging U.S. intellectual property exhaustion doctrines

With the increasing dispersion of intellectual property comes the intellectual property rights owner's continued desire to retain that part of the equation for which the bargain was struck. In terms of patents, the patentee strikes a deal to disclose the invention to the public in exchange for a monopoly over its use for a limited term. Copyright holders contribute their works to the intellectual pool receiving value by sale, lease or license. In 2012–13, the U.S. Supreme Court was tasked with delineating the realms of two intellectual property exhaustion doctrines and answering the question of where to draw the line with regard to an IP owner's ability to control the protected invention or work via patent or copyright, respectively. In one case, the Court permitted the intellectual property owner to restrict a subsequent purchaser's use of the product subject to protection, while in the other case the Court rejected the intellectual property owner's attempt to control the downstream use or resale of the product. This article discusses the relevant intellectual property exhaustion doctrines, analyzes and reconciles the Court's decisions in these cases, and provides guidance for navigating restrictions on use of U.S. protected products and works around the globe.     

RESEARCH ON THEORY,LEGISLATIONS AND PRACTICES ABOUT REGULATING NON-PRACTICING ENTITIES IN CHINA

Non-Practicing Entities (NPE), as a subject, is a neutral concept, but the derogatory sense of translation and understanding on this concept and the chaos of understanding make the legal regulation of NPE encounter more difficulties and challenges. In fact, NPE issues are concerned, discussed and researched in China within quite a long period, however, it would not become an outstanding legal issue nowadays. NPE as a market entity, its existence is legitimate per se, and what the law should focus on is the unfair conduct that NPE might be engaged in rather than the subject of NPE itself. It is not necessary to make specific articles and provisions on the subject of NPE at present in the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the PRC which are revised in China, and a serial of rules and guidelines for Anti-Monopoly Law of the PRC which are formulated in China. It proved that the unfair conducts of NPE should be regulated according to Patent law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law and Anti-Monopoly Law as well as, reconfirmed that the conclusion that the regulation of NPE in China laws focus on conducts rather than subject in a serial of cases such as the anti-monopoly investigation case against INTERDIGITAL Corporation initiated by the National Development and Reform Commission, the case that the Ministry of Commerce imposed restrictive conditions to approve that Microsoft acquired Nokia equipment and service business, and the commercial defamation case that Shenzhen Libang Precision Instrument Co., Ltd vs Shenzhen Mairui Biological Medical Electronic Co., Ltd which was reviewed by the Supreme People’s Court.     

中美药品上市审批过程中的专利链接问题研究

目的：为我国药品专利链接制度的发展与完善提供启示与借鉴。方法：运用案例分析、法条分析、经济分析及国内外法律制度比较分析等论证方法,剖析我国专利链接制度。结果与结论：根据我国医药产业发展水平和国民对药品可及性的实际需求,分阶段推行我国药品专利链接制度。     

授益行政行为与专利权保护研究

依据专利法等特定法律,专利制度通过授予发明人对发明享有的独占权来保护、鼓励发明创造,进而推动科技进步和经济发展。完整意义上的专利权保护,除事后的侵权救济和违法惩处之外,还应该涵盖新技术的发明创造到其获得专利权后将之市场化应用于社会生产等阶段,确保创新主体顺利获得专利权并实施或转让其专利技术,也即专利权的事前保护。授益行政行为在专利权的事前保护方面可以起到注重提供事后救济的负担性行政行为以及司法措施所无法替代的重要作用,而我国现行专利权保护体系在授益行政行为方面却存在着严重的缺失,本文针对这些缺失,就几类典型的授益行政行为,提出了具体的完善建议。     

Settlement during patent litigation trials. An empirical analysis for Germany

Settlement in patent litigation suits is a frequently observed phenomenon. Even though parties have the opportunity of achieving an agreement at the first negotiation round they often reach one during trial. Game theoretic models suggest that additional or differently evaluated information may trigger settlement after a first bargaining round. This paper investigates settlement decisions in patent infringement suits for Germany. Based on a data set of 824 patents involved in infringement suits in Germany during 1993 and 1995 I find legal differences between the District Courts to have a significant impact on the settlement rates during trial. The results also reveal it is only in later stages of the trial that invalidity suits as a means of defense have a positive impact on the probability of settlement. Prior opposition to the litigated patent, however, always has a negative impact on settlement probability. Contrary to results for the US the adoption of the prevailing or not at the first instance has no effect on the settlement decision at the second instance.

论网络商业方法的可专利性

随着Internet的发展 ,电子商务成为人们关注的焦点 ,而与网络有关的商业方法专利 ,也成为热门话题。然而 ,尽管商业方法已成为美国法律的法定保护客体 ,对于这种新兴专利合法性的讨论 ,仍是方兴未艾。     

从法律经济学的角度看专利制度的利弊——兼谈我国《专利法》的修订

现代专利法均毫无保留地肯定专利制度对经济发展的积极促进作用,但是,经济学家却对专利制度总体上的成本与效益众说纷纭。多数学者怀疑甚至否认专利制度的经济效益可能大于其经济成本。经济学研究成果表明专利制度会引起的巨大经济成本,该成本可能超出专利制度潜在的经济效益。因此,各国专利法应在保护专利权和公共利益之间达成一种平衡,从而减少专利制度的成本。我国的专利法过于强调专利制度的积极作用,对该制度的潜在消极影响估计不足,有待于进一步修订。     

专利审查国际协作制度构建之探析

由于全球的专利申请量激增,各国专利审查机构面临着审查积压的压力,各国专利局一直协同努力建立各种信息共享的专利审查国际协作制度。虽然该制度在发展进程中面临专利权的地域性、审查制度差异化、语言以及各国文化多样性等问题,但各国基于合作的共同诉求,努力建立积极的对话和协调机制,为专利审查国际协作制度的发展开辟了广阔的前景。我国应重视专利审查一体化发展趋势,预设发展态势和对策,完善专利审查法律制度,为专利制度的国际秩序奠定良好基础。     

3D打印技术发展与专利法回应

3D打印技术在改变制造业基础设施的配置、原材料的供应链和产品销售模式的同时,也对现行专利法律制度形成了冲击和挑战。在3D打印技术领域,如何在激励创新与防止潜在的非法复制之间实现平衡,廓清合法的"修理"和不合法的"再造"之间的界限以及以"非生产经营目的"的个人打印是否构成侵权等问题亟待专利法律制度的回应。面对3D打印技术带来的机遇与挑战,立法者应重新审视《专利法》的制度基础,在平衡技术革新和其他社会、经济价值的基础上,推动3D打印技术和专利法律制度间的互动演进式发展。     

欧盟专利转让协议条例的新发展

欧盟的法律以促进共同体内市场流通为目的,而专利制度的核心是一定程度的垄断。为了平衡技术的发展革新和共同市场的自由流通之间的冲突,欧盟竞争法作了原则性的规定,欧盟委员会也制定了240/96号条例与之配套。但是随着欧盟竞争法的不断更新,240/96号条例已不能适应市场的需求。