2014年7月8日 星期二

Alice v. CLS Bank的判決影響Samsung主張Apple專利無效?

Alice v. CLS Bank的判決影響Samsung主張Apple專利無效,也就是認為Apple主張的侵權的系爭專利為抽象概念,而電腦裝置僅是一般目的的電腦而已。

最高法院對Alice v. CLS Bank案的判決:
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/06/alice-corporation-pty-ltd-v-cls-bank.html
USPTO提出的審查標準:
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/06/101-alice-corp-v-cls-bank.html

先前文章參考:
先前5月時地方法院對第二波Apple v. Samsung訴訟的判決報導:
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/05/apple2212.html
地方法院可決定律師費用轉移的裁量權:
http://enpan.blogspot.tw/2014/05/octane-fitness-v-icon-health-supreme.html

本次Samsung提出請求的介紹:

在美國最高法院對Alice v. CLS Bank案例作出意見後,Samsung即於日前作出侵權賠償判決的北卡地方法院"請求"提出補充答辯意見,理由自然是因為主張其中兩件專利(721', 959')因為沒有技術革新,也僅是一般目的電腦實現的抽象概念而已

在此侵權賠償的訴訟案中,北卡地院曾經考量了最近最高法院作出訴訟律師費用轉移的判決而判定Samsung應支付律師費用,因此應該仍可以要求法院繼續考慮最近Alice v. CLS Bank判決的意見,Samsung希望地方法院可以根據Alice v. CLS Bank的最高法院意見作出專利無效的決定。

專利無效是否成立應該仍觀察一陣子,畢竟這些判決要形成判例需要一點時間醞釀,包括USPTO正在尋求公眾意見!根據Alice v. CLS Bank判決(USPTO作出的審查指示),Alice v. CLS Bank的判決涉及判斷「商業方法」或「電腦實現的軟體方法」是否為不可專利的「抽象概念」或是一般目的電腦實現的軟體技術,但沒有絕對地排除這些技術的可專利性或是提出任何可專利的必要條件。

Samsung的兩個主張(摘錄自http://zh.scribd.com/doc/232501558/14-07-03-Samsung-s-Proposed-Supplemental-Brief-Re-Alice-Opinion

回應一下這兩件系爭專利的專利性問題:

US8,046,721(滑動解鎖),專利範圍涉及偵測手指將一個解鎖圖案從第一位置移動到預設解鎖的第二位置,其中硬體相關的反應就是觸控面板偵測手指操作的動作,當判斷完成解鎖應該有的動作後,即開起電子裝置。雖然歐洲法庭對此案都是認為沒有解決技術問題,因此認定無效,不過就軟體專利而言,如果考慮了Bilski判例tied to machine的可專利判斷準則,這部份應該不是簡單的抽象概念!而且也不會是一般目的電腦的運算而已,因為涉及觸控技術,我認文這件專利的技術標的仍應該還是具有可專利性,否則很多更抽象的軟體技術都難以獲准專利,這可能會推翻許多軟體專利!

列舉Claim 1,其中連結的硬體「hand-held electronic device」、「touch-sensitive display」,技術目的是解鎖電子裝置,應仍具有有意義的硬體與技術目的。
1. A method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:
detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image;
continuously moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and
unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.

列舉Claim 7(Google Patents版本),所界定的可攜式電子裝置實際具有觸控螢幕、記憶體、處理器、軟體模組等,其中描述的動作也是運作在觸控螢幕上。
7. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a touch-sensitive display;
memory;
one or more processors; and
one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more modules including instructions:
to detect a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image;
to continuously move the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the detected contact while continuous contact with the touch-sensitive display is maintained, wherein the unlock image is a graphical, interactive user-interface object with which a user interacts in order to unlock the device; and
to unlock the hand-held electronic device if the unlock image is moved from the first predefined location on the touch screen to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.


US6,847,959(通用型介面),這是一種頗為好用的電腦檔案搜尋技術,可以根據使用者輸入的關鍵字找到多個電腦儲存裝置內多個不同位置的檔案,技術顯然是運算一個搜尋的演算法實現,就如摘要所述『a plurality of heuristic algorithms to operate upon information descriptors input by the user』。

列舉Claim 1,顯示當中確實沒有任何有意義的硬體(電腦系統)連結!
1. A method for locating information in a computer system, comprising the steps of:
inputting an information identifier;
providing said information identifier to a plurality of plug-in modules each using a different heuristic to locate information which matches said identifier;
providing at least one candidate item of information from said modules; and
displaying a representation of said candidate item of information. 

列舉Claim 24(Google patents版本)
24. A computer readable medium for locating information from a plurality of locations containing program instructions to:
receive an information identifier;
provide said information identifier to a plurality of heuristics to locate information in the plurality of locations which include the Internet and local storage media;
determine at least one candidate item of information based upon the plurality of heuristics; and
display a representation of said candidate item of information.


後語:
根據Alice v. CLS Bank的最高法院意見,如果技術僅是一個演算方法或是程式集,顯然簡單引入「in a computer system」,或是「computer readable medium」,或是在步驟中補入「in a processor」、「using a memory」等用語會變得沒有意義。這些可能形成審查基準的案例需要一些時間發展。


以上意見顯然就是後見之明,確實隨著判例一直產生,會慢慢地影響我們對專利的判斷。
地院法官Koh日前已經要求Apple對Samsung的請求提出回應。

資料參考:
http://www.fosspatents.com/2014/07/samsung-argues-two-apple-patents-in.html

Ron

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