在前述的申論基礎上來進一步檢視自工業革命以來的智慧財產權擴張趨 勢,我們可以發現到這個趨勢仍未因杜哈宣言所提出的 TRIPs 彈性而敢改善。以 下謹以兩例說明之。
一、 專利濫用與限制競爭
其實自有專利制度以來,濫用(misuse)專利權的疑問便始終存在,故此,在 歐盟決定授與軟體專利後,其 Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein 便特 別表示:「我們必須確保專利不會被用來作為排擠合法競爭或妨礙獲取知識及構 想之用。」("We must make sure patents are not used to squeeze out legitimate competition or prevent fair access to knowledge and ideas.")他並表示:「我們正嘗 試在美國粗魯處理專利問題之方法與 Linux 之開放原始碼之方式中求得中道。」
("We're trying to find a middle course between the American way of handing out patents wildly and the Linux way, the open source method,")205在這段新近的敘述
203 參行政院公平交易委員會(90)公處字第 021 號。
204 See,in the Matter of Certain Recordable Compact Discs and Rewritable Compact Discs , NO.
337-TA-474, U.S. International Trade Commission, 2004.
205 The entire press release, detailing all the actions taken by the Council, is at
http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/intm/80522.pdf visited 2004/12/02; 18 BNA WIPR 06, d6.
中,我們可以感受到歐盟在擴張專利保護領域時對於競爭環境受到專利濫用的可 可提出一衡平積極抗辯(equitable affirmative defense)208,而衡平法院(courts of equity)根據此原則以防止專利權人將其專利權擴張至專利法所允許的獨佔範圍
206 Martone, Patricia A. & Feustel, Jr., Richard M., the Patent Misuse Defense - Does It Still Have Vitality?, 752 PLI/PAT 103, 161-162 ,2003.
207 5 DONALDS. CHISUM, CHISUM ONPATENTS§ 19.01, at 19-5 (1996).
208 積極抗辯係指對於原告之指控,被告承認有違法行為,但卻提出其主張以對抗之,例如:以
自衛作為傷害指控之積極抗辯。而衡平積極抗辯則是指對於原告之指控,被告提出原告本身 行為有瑕疵以對抗之。
209 C.R. Bard, Inc. v. M3 Sys., Inc., 157 F.3d. 1340, 1372 (Fed. Cir. 1998).
210 Virginia Panel Corp. v. MAC Panel Co., 133 F.3d 860 (Fed. Cir. 1997).
211 Id. at 868.
212 經由過去案例發現,聯邦巡迴法院將「與獨立產品(staple product)搭售」以及「收取過期 專利權利金」之行為視為當然專利濫用,但目前美國專利法規定,若無市場力量,搭售並無 專利濫用之虞。
213 Virginia Panel Corp., 133 F.3d at 868.
214 Id.
215 原條文:"[N]o patent owner otherwise entitled to relief for infringement or contributory
而有利於專利權人。一九八八年美國國會通過專利商標局授權法(Patent and Trademark Office Authorization Act of 1988,亦稱專利修正法--Patent Reform Act of 1988)後,更進一步限縮專利濫用原則之適用範圍。經由條文的制定過程與最 終版本的觀察,吾人甚至可說專利濫用的判斷方式已逐漸朝向傳統的反壟斷法。
一九九七年一月九日,多位眾議員提出智慧財產反壟斷保護法案(Intellectual Property Antitrust Protection Act)216,該法案之目的係為修正反壟斷法以鼓勵智 慧財產的授權以及其他應用。其第二條大意如下:「在任何訴訟中,若智慧財產
(Tying Arrangements)、禁止販賣競爭產品協定(Covenants Not to Deal)、包 裹授權(Package Licensing)、對過期專利收取權利金(Post-expiration Royalties)、
以總銷售額計算權利金(Royalties Based on Total Sales)、權利金費率歧視
(Discriminatory Royalty Rates)、第七款 過高的權利金(Excessive Royalty Rates)、 拒絕授權(Refusal to License)、轉售價格限制(Price Fixing)、轉售 區域的限制(Territorial Limitations)、使用領域之限制(Field-of-Use Limitations)、 回饋授權(Grant-Backs)等。然則真正造成濫權之原因其實十分複雜,更逐漸牽
infringement of a patent shall be denied relief or deemed guilty of misuse or illegal extension of the patent right by reason of his having done one or more of the following: (1) derived revenue from acts which if performed by another without his consent would constitute contributory infringement of the patent; (2) licensed or authorized another to perform acts which if performed without his consent would constitute contributory infringement of the patent; (3) sought to enforce his patent rights against infringement or contributory infringement."自譯如下:「當專利侵權或輔助侵權之情 事發生時,有權行使侵權救濟之專利權人,不得因有下列各款情事之一而否定其行使救濟之 權益,或被視為專利權之濫用或不法之權利擴張:(1)從某種行為中獲得收益,而該行為如
由他人不經其同意而實施,將構成專利的輔助侵權;(2)授權他人實施某些行為,而該行為
如由他人不經其同意而實施則將構成對專利的輔助侵權;(3)企圖實施其專利權以禁止侵權 或輔助侵權。」
216 H.R. 401, 105th Cong. (1st Sess. 1997), http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.401 visited 2004/06/08.
217 “[I]n any action in which the conduct of an owner . . . of an intellectual property right is alleged to be in violation of the antitrust laws..., such right shall not be presumed to define a market, to establish market power (including economic power and product uniqueness or distinctiveness), or to establish monopoly power.”
218 台灣的光儲存產業便面臨荷蘭商菲利浦公司此方面的操作壓力。
料的保護,以免其洩露與遭不公平的商業使用219這個壓力現已及於台灣,依筆者
219 See supra note 5.
220 Id.
221 Id.
222 See supra note 28, 463-464,Summer, 2003.