电子商务商业方法专利的创造性判断标准分析
Analysis on the Criterion for the Judgment of Non-obviousness of E-business Method Patent
郭斯伦
【摘要】自1998年以来，世界各主要国家对于电子商务商业方法的可专利性逐渐达成共识，但是在实施何种创造性判断标准方面却各行其是。本文首先从理论上对电子商务商业方法专利的创造性判断标准进行阐述，认为应当从发明方案的整体角度考察，并且厘清了创造性与技术性的关系。继之，文章对美国、欧盟和日本在实践中并未坚持贯彻该理论标准的原因进行了分析，得出具体标准还应考虑各国专利法律制度整体及科技与产业发展水平。最后，结合具体国情，本文认为，我国应当明确以“非显而易见性”即“突出的实质性特点”为标准，从发明方案的整体去判断，而不必苛求其中的计算机信息网络技术具有过高的创新性。
Since 1998, the main countries all over the world gradually reached an agreement on the patentability of E-business method. However, they set different criteria for the judgment of non-obviousness. At the beginning, the thesis expounds the theoretical criterion for the judgment of non-obviousness, holds that the judgment of non-obviousness should be made after the inspection on the whole program of E-business method invention, and clarifies the relation between non-obviousness and technical nature. After that, by analyzing the reasons of the United States, Europe and Japan, s non-persisting in the theoretical criterion, the thesis advocates that the concrete criterion should be set after considering the whole patent system as well as the level of science and technology and the development of industry. In the conclusion, after taking account of the present conditions, the thesis concludes that our country should take " outstanding virtual peculiarity" as the criterion of non-obviousness, and make judgment after the inspection on the whole program of invention, instead of requesting the technology of the program to be provided with excessive creativeness.
【关键词】电子商务商业方法专利；创造性判断标准；启示
E-business method patent；criterion for the judgment of non-obviousness；enlightenment
【全文】
一、问题的提出
1998年，美国联邦巡回上诉法院对“道富银行诉签记金融集团公司”一案(State Street Bank & Trust Co. v. Signature Financial Group, Inc. )的判决开创了电子商务商业方法专利的先河。继之，欧盟、日本也都陆续修改各自的专利法律制度，将长久以来一直被排除于可专利性主题范围之外的商业方法纳入了专利制度保护范畴。2002年末至2003年初，我国国家知识产权局亦先后授予美国花旗银行的两项电子商务商业方法发明以专利权。[1] 可以说，在科学技术和电子商务迅猛发展的今天，对于电子商务商业方法的可专利性问题，世界各主要国家已经达成一致意见。当前存在较大分歧之处在于，对于一项具体的电子商务商业方法而言，如何判断其是否符合专利条件。从审查实践来看，在各项专利条件中，审查的难点集中于创造性的判断标准上，而在近年来美国专利商标局、欧洲专利局和日本特许厅于日本东京举行的关于“计算机实施的商业方法发明专利保护问题”的会谈上，三方也将创造性判断标准作为讨论重点之一。
