‘제조방법이 기재된 물건발명 청구항(Product by Process Claim)’의 특허청구범위 해석 - 대법원 2015. 1. 22. 선고 2011후927 전원합의체 판결 -

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This article discusses the Supreme Court’s 2011hu927 en banc decision rendered on January 22, 2015. This case provides clear guidelines as follows for the construction of Product-by-Process claims(hereinafter called ‘PbP claims’). “PbP claims should be construed as product invention because the subject of invention in PbP claims is not the process, but the end product itself obtained through the process. Therefore, even though PbP claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself, not on its method of production. Only the structure or properties implied by the process steps should be considered when assessing the patentability of PbP claims over the prior art.” These rules should be applied equally when deciding the scope of a right about PbP claims in the infringement suit. The Supreme Court’s 2013hu1726 decision rendered on February 12, 2015 basically had the same view. In addition, according to this decision, in cases where clearly unreasonable circumstance is present, such as the scope of a right drawn from the construction applying aforementioned rules is unduly broad compared to the substance of invention understood from the entire specification, the scope of a right may be limited to the process itself written in the claim. The aforementioned decisions have significant meaning, since they established resonable guidelines for the PbP claims construction which is a highly controversial issue in the world, independently of other countries.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. 대상판결의 판시 내용
• 1. 사안의 개요
• 2. 판시 내용
• Ⅱ. PbP 청구항 일반론
• 1. 의의
• 2. 종류
• 3. PbP 청구항 허용의 연혁 비교
• 4. PbP 청구항의 해석론 일반
• Ⅲ. PbP 청구항에 대한 각국의 해석론
• 1. 특허부여 단계에서의 해석론
• 2. 특허침해 단계에서의 해석론
• Ⅳ. 대상판결 등의 검토
• 1. 대상판결의 검토
• 2. 특허침해 단계에 대한 대법원 2015. 2. 12. 선고 2013후1726 판결 검토
• 3. 대상판결의 의의
• 참고문헌

참고문헌 (Reference)

1 조영선, "특허판례연구" 박영사 2009

2 박민정, "특허소송연구(6집)" 특허법원 2013

3 특허청, "특허.실용신안 심사지침서"

4 윤태식, "특별법연구(11권)" 사법발전재단 2014

5 최성준, "민사재판의 제문제(19권)" 한국사법행정학회 2010

6 남현, "대법원판례해설(80호)" 법원도서관 2009

7 박정희, "대법원판례해설(62호)" 법원도서관 2006

8 設樂隆一, "特許判 例百選" 有斐閣 2012

9 岡田吉美, "プロダクト․バイ․プロセス․クレームについての" 64 (64): 2011

10 "Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office, Part F-Chapter IV 15, 4.12 Product-by-process claim"

11 USPTO MPEP, "2113 Product-by-Process Claims"