歐洲專利公約(European Patent Convention, EPC)第54條為新穎性專利要件之規定,第55條則是無害公開(Non-prejudicial disclosures)的規定。如果是發生在提出歐洲專利申請案前6個月的公開,且屬下列兩種情形:(1)由於「明顯濫用(evident abuse)」所致。(2)公開展示於官方所主辦或認可之國際展覽會,審酌新穎性不會將之納入先前技藝的考量範圍。不過,第三人獨立發明之公開則會構成先前技術。國際性的展覽會侷限於登記在國際展會事務處(Bureau International des Expositions, BIE)的展覽[5]。
2017年4月3日,新加坡律政部(Ministry of Law)在國會提出註冊設計法(Registered Designs Act)修正法案,擴大相關智慧財產權法定保護範圍,使符合條件的非實體產品具有實體產品的智財權效力,例如:全像投影鍵盤。其中也建議放寬註冊前公開設計作品的限制,將註冊設計的新穎性優惠期限延長至1年。[9]
圖表三 日本、韓國及新加坡的優惠期制度與適用法律
適用法律
專利類型
優惠期間
計算起始日
公開態樣
日本
特許法
發明
6個月
本國申請日
未限制
實用新案法
實用新案
意匠法
意匠
韓國
專利法
發明
12個月
本國申請日
未限制
實用新案法、
實用新型
設計保護法案
設計專利
6個月
新加坡
專利法
發明
12個月
本國申請日
未限制
註冊設計法
註冊設計
6個月
限制
優惠期限調和的國際趨勢
EPO的擴大上訴委員會(The Enlarged Board of Appeal,EBA)認為依據EPC的規定,申請人不能同時享有新穎性優惠期的利益,又享有優先權利益,兩者只能擇一。如果申請人要主張新穎性優惠,6個月期限的時間點是以EPO的申請日往前推算。然而,EUIPO則有不同的法律規定,歐盟設計法第7條是關於公開揭露(Disclose)的規定,2項是「無害公開」之規定,2項(b)款規定是以EUIPO的申請日或優先權日(有優先權主張者)往前推算的12個月的優惠期期限,申請人可同時享有新穎性優惠期的利益,又享有優先權利益。
Q75, Prior disclosure and prior use of the invention by the inventor, was considered at the Buenos Aires Congress of 1980。Q75 was again considered at the Moscow ExCo of 1982。
The question of grace period was taken up again at the Lucerne ExCo of 2003, as part of the study of the Substantive Patent Law Treaty (Q170). The ExCo reached a resolution in favour of a 12 months grace period, including a permissive provision regarding declarations:
[AIPPI] adopts the following Resolution: the term for the grace period shall be 12 months before the filing date or, if a priority is claimed, the priority date, i.e. the patent application shall be filed no later than 12 months after the public disclosure coming directly or indirectly from the inventor; a declaration by the applicant confirming that he is entitled to benefit from such grace period
may be required.。
參見2013年9月,AIPPI公布的“ Resolution:Question Q233-Grace period for patents”, 網址http://aippi.org/wp-content/uploads/committees/233/RS233English.pdf。
Article 44:Exhibition priority(1)If an applicant for a registered Community design has disclosed products in which the design is incorporated, or to which it is applied, at an official or officially recognised international exhibition falling within the terms of the Convention on International Exhibitions signed in Paris on 22 November 1928 and last revised on 30 November 1972, he may, if he files the application within a period of six months from the date of the first disclosure of such products, claim a right of priority from that date within the meaning of Article 43.(2)An applicant who wishes to claim priority pursuant to paragraph 1, under the conditions laid down in the implementing regulation, must file evidence that he has disclosed at an exhibition the products in or to which the design is incorporated or applied. (3)An exhibition priority granted in a Member State or in a third country does not extend the period of priority laid down in Article 41。
Article 30: (1) In the case of an invention which has fallen under any of the items of Article 29 (1) against the will of the person having the right to obtain a patent, such invention shall be deemed not to have fallen under any of the items of Article 29 (1) for the purpose of Article 29 (1) and (2) for the invention claimed in a patent application which has been filed by the said person within six months from the date on which the invention first fell under any of said items。