2017年12月20日,歐盟法院(Court of the European Union, CJEU)對於備用零件市場中汽車輪圈的長期訴訟及歐盟設計法[1](簡稱設計法)中「維修條款(repair clause)」的解釋作出裁決,說明「維修條款」適用於複合式產品外觀上所有的零組件。本文介紹這兩個案件、相關法律規定及背景、CJEU佐審官的法律意見及論理分析以及裁決結果,提供給我國汽車維修零組件廠商及貿易商在開發歐盟市場做為參考之用。
這個合併案件的法律意見是由歐盟法院的佐審官(Advocate General, AG)[6]在2017年9月28日會議上所提出的。佐審官認為,這案件涉及設計法第110條(1)款規定「用於維修複合式產品的替換零件」之維修條款,在解釋之前,要先檢視在通過該法規之前的立法程序中,已詳細討論了作為共同設計的保護的例外情況。
Article 110(1) of Council Regulation (EC) No 6/2002 of 12 December 2001 on Community designs (OJ 2002 L 3, p. 1)。
Born 1964; graduated in law from the University of Aarhus (1991); master's degree in European Law from the College of Europe in Bruges (1993); lecturer at the University of Aarhus (1991-93) and the University of Copenhagen (1999-2001); visiting professor at the Universities of Copenhagen and Aalborg (since 2008); lawyer at the Danish Bar (1995); Legal Secretary at the Court of First Instance of the European Communities (1994-99); Public Prosecutor at the Prosecution Office, Copenhagen (1999-2000), and Inspector in police districts (2004-06); Legal Adviser to the representative of the Danish Prime Minister during the negotiations for drawing up the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (1999-2000); Head of Section in the Office for EU Law (1999-2000), Head of Department in the Office for EU Law and Human Rights (2000-01) and Head of Department in the Office for Property and Obligations Law (2001-06), at the Ministry of Justice; Consumer Ombudsman appointed by the Danish Government (2006-14); Judge at the Østre Landsret, Copenhagen (2015); Advocate General at the Court of Justice since 7 October 2015。
Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on the legal protection of designs (OJ 1993 C 345, p. 14)。
參見 the Report from the Presidency to the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper), No 12420/2000, of 19 October 2000, paragraph 6 (available at: http://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST‑12420-2000-INIT/en/pdf)。
參見Report from the Presidency to the Coreper No 12420/2000, of 19 October 2000, paragraph 9。
參見Judgment of 25 October 2017, Polbud — Wykonawstwo, C‑106/16, EU:C:2017:804, paragraph 23 and the case-law cited。
參見Judgments of 3 October 2013, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Others v Parliament and Council, C 583/11 P, EU:C:2013:625, paragraph 50; of 1 July 2015, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland, C 461/13, EU:C:2015:433, paragraph 30; and of 18 May 2017, Hummel Holding, C 617/15, EU:C:2017:390, paragraph 22。
參見 Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft v Round & Metal Ltd and another [2012] EWHC 2099 (Pat), 27 July 2012.)。
參見“從BMW v. Round & Metal Ltd一案解析歐盟設計的維修免責條款”, 北美智權報142 期, 2015.09.23。