2023學(xué)年完整公開課版BOOK8-Unit3Inventorsandinventions（區(qū)一等獎(jiǎng)）

Inventor

Inpatentlaw,aninventoristheperson,orpersonsinUnitedStatespatentlaw,whocontributetotheclaimsofapatentableinvention.Insomepatentlawframeworkshowever,suchasintheEuropeanPatentConvention(EPC)anditscaselaw,noexplicit,accuratedefinitionofwhoexactlyisaninventorisprovided.ThedefinitionmayslightlyvaryfromoneEuropeancountrytoanother.InventorshipisgenerallynotconsideredtobeapatentabilitycriterionunderEuropeanpatentlaw.

UnderU.S.caselaw,aninventoristheonewith"intellectualdomination"overtheinventiveprocess,andnotmerelyonewhoassistsinitsreductiontopractice.Sinceinventorshiprelatestotheclaimsinapatentapplication,knowingwhoaninventorisunderthepatentlawissometimesdifficult.

"Jointinventors"existwhenapatentableinventionistheresultofinventiveworkofmorethanoneinventor.Jointinventorsexistevenwhereoneinventorcontributedamajorityofthework.

Absentacontractorlicense,theinventorsareindividualswhoowntherightsinanissuedpatent.Statusasaninventordramaticallyaltersparties'abilitytocapitalizeontheinvention.

Inventorship

EuropeanPatentConvention

UndertheEuropeanPatentConvention(EPC),identifyingtheinventorofagiveninventionistheoreticallyveryimportantsince"[t]herighttoaEuropeanpatent(...)belong[s]totheinventororhissuccessorintitle"(Article60(1)EPC),accordingtothefirst-to-fileprinciple(Article60(2)EPC).Inpracticehowever,theEuropeanPatentOffice(EPO)neverinvestigateswhethertheproposedinventorisindeedthetrueinventor.Indeed,"[f]orthepurposesofproceedingsbeforethe[EPO],theapplicantshallbedeemedtobeentitledtoexercisetherighttotheEuropeanpatent"(Article60(3)EPC).

CourtactionsrelatingtotheentitlementtothegrantofaEuropeanpatentmustbebroughtbeforethenationalcourtwhichhasthejurisdiction.Thejurisdictionisdeterminedinconformancewiththe"ProtocolonJurisdictionandtheRecognitionofDecisionsinrespectoftheRighttotheGrantofaEuropeanPatent"or,inshort,the"ProtocolonRecognition".OnceafinaldecisionisissuedbyanationalcourtadjudgingthattheapplicantisnotentitledtothegrantofaEuropeanpatent,theprocedureaccordingtoArticle61EPCisapplicable.

IncontrastwithU.S.patentlaw,theapplicantforaEuropeanpatentneedsnotbetheinventor.TherighttotheEuropeanpatentmayvalidlybetransferredbeforethefilingoftheapplication,.bycontract,byinheritance,orasaconsequenceofthe"employee'srights"asdeterminedbytheapplicablenationallaw(Article60(1)EPC).However,theinventorhastherighttobementionedassuchbeforetheEPO(Article62EPC).TheEPOdoesnotverifytheaccuracyofthedesignationoftheinventor(Rule17(2)EPC).TheinventormaywaiveitsrighttobementionedassuchintheEuropeanpatentapplicationandEuropeanpatentspecification(Rule18(2)EPC).

InventorshipistraditionallynotclassifiedasapatentabilitycriterionunderEuropeanpatentlaw,incontrastwithU.S.patentlaw.However,inventorshipcanberelevanttopatentabilityinEurope,althoughinonlyalimitedway.Whereadisclosureismadewithin6monthsprecedingthefilingdateofaEuropeanpatentapplication,thedisclosureisnottakenintoconsiderationifitwasdueto,orinconsequenceof,anevidentabuseinrelationtotheapplicantorhislegalpredecessor(Article55(1)(a)EPC).Thustheidentityoftheinventor(whoisoftentheapplicant,orhislegalpredecessor)canbeofvitalimportance.

UnitedStates

IntheUnitedStates,apatentapplicationmustbefiledinthenameoftheinventors.ThisrequirementthatapatentbetakenoutinthenameoftheinventorsisderivedfromtheintellectualpropertyclauseoftheUnitedStatesConstitution:

TheCongressshallhavepower...Topromotetheprogressofscienceandusefularts,bysecuringforlimitedtimestoauthorsandinventorstheexclusiverighttotheirrespectivewritingsanddiscoveries

Aninventorisapartywhohascontributedatleastoneclaimtoapatent.Thecourtsexplainthat"[t]hethresholdquestion"ofinventorshipis"whoconceivedtheinvention."Courtsrecognizethatinventionisrarelyasolitaryendeavor.Therefore,conceptionand"intellectualdomination"overaninventionisimportantand"reductiontopractice,perse,isirrelevant.Onemustcontributetotheconceptiontobeaninventor."

Generally,conceptionis"thecompleteperformanceofthementalpartoftheinventiveact",and"theformationinthemindoftheinventorofadefiniteandpermanentideaofthecompleteandoperativeinventionasitisthereaftertobeappliedinpractice.."(emphasisadded).Anideaisusuallynot"definiteandpermanent"or"complete"wherechangesresultingfromexperimentation.Inthiscase,otherindividualswhocontributetotheformationofthe"definiteandpermanent"ideaareco-inventors.

Thenamingofinventorsisveryimportantforthevalidityofthepatent.Intentionallyfailingtoname,orincorrectlyidentifyinginventors,canresultinapatentbeingheldinvalid.Ordinarily,thecourtspresumethenamedinventorsaretheinventorssolongasthereisnodisagreement.

AninventorcannotoptoutfrombeingmentionedassuchinaU.S.patent,evenifthepatentapplicationwasassignedbeforepublication.Assignmentofrightsinapatentdoesnotaltertowhomthepatentisactuallyissued.Infact,anassigneemayonlyhaveanequitableinterestinthepatentuntilitisissuedandthenlegalinterestwouldtransferautomatically.

Compensationofinventors

Therearemanywaysinwhichaninventormightbecompensatedforhisorherpatent.Aninventormightbringthepatentedproducttomarketundertheprotectionofthemonopolycreatedbythepatent.Theinventormaylicensehisorherpatenttoanotherentityforanupfrontfee,anongoingroyaltyorotherconsideration.Theinventormayalsosellthepatentoutright.HenryWoodward,forexample,soldhisoriginalUSpatentonthelightbulbtoThomasEdisonwhothend