UPC 将于2023年4月1日起开始受理案件； 美专利商标局将商标答复期从6个月缩减至3个月

编辑制作：China IP 国际部

录音：李秀琴

Overview

一周概览

Focus

1. Unified Patent Court plans to receive cases from 1 April 2023

欧洲统一专利法院（UPC）将于2023年4月1日起开始受理案件

2. European Council approved Digital Services Act on Oct 4 

 欧洲理事会于10月4日通过了《数字服务法案》

3. USPTO Cuts Time To Respond To TM Office Actions In Half

美专利商标局将商标答复期从6个月缩减至3个月

IP Practice

4. EU accuses pharma group Teva of breaking antitrust rules

欧盟指控制药集团梯瓦公司违反了反垄断法规定

5. French court cuts record €1.1 billion Apple fine to €372 million

法国将苹果的罚款从11亿欧元降至3.72亿欧元

6. NBA, NHL, MLB Launch Trademark Suits Against Chinese E-Sellers

NBA、NHL、MLB起诉中国电商平台卖家商标侵权

7. Nokia files multiple lawsuits against OPPO after a German win in August

继德国胜诉后，诺基亚又在多市场对OPPO发起诉讼

8. USPTO director sanctions patent challenger in $2.1 bln Intel dispute

美国专利商标局局长在21亿美元英特尔专利纠纷案中制裁挑战者

Case Analysis

Andi Optical-Technology v. Yuanjing & Huisicheng & Juxincheng

涉“房车”实用新型专利侵权纠纷案

Focus

1

Unified Patent Court plans to receive cases from 1 April 2023

欧洲统一专利法院（UPC）将于2023年4月1日起开始受理案件

On Oct 6, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Preparatory team issued an implementation roadmap depicting all the key activities and milestones of the UPC in the coming months. According to the roadmap, the UPC plans to receive cases from 1 April 2023. The roadmap also gives a date on when Germany will complete its ratification, as well as a recruitment plan for court judges. It is reported that the UPC will be a very ideal place for patent enforcement, given that it is cost-saving and considered to be more professional in litigation for some right holders. The move also warns Chinese companies of the need to redeploy their patent strategy in the Europe.

10月6日，欧洲统一专利法院（Unified Patent Court, UPC）筹备委员会发布了一个UPC的具体时间路线图，报告了UPC在未来几个月的重大活动和里程碑事件。根据路线图，UPC计划在2023年的4月1日开始受理案件。该路线图同时给出了德国将在何时完成批准的日期，以及法院法官的招聘计划。据悉，UPC对权利人而言将会是一个非常理想的专利执法地，因其具有诉讼成本低、诉讼专业性强等特点。此举也警示中国企业需抓紧重新布局在欧洲的专利战略。

2

European Council approved Digital Services Act on Oct 4 

 欧洲理事会于10月4日通过了《数字服务法案》

On Oct 4, the European Council approved the Digital Services Act (DSA) to ensure a safer online environment. The DSA defines clear responsibilities and accountability for providers of intermediary services, such as social media, online marketplaces, very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs). The rules are designed asymmetrically, which means that larger intermediary services with significant societal impact (VLOPs and VLOSEs) are subject to stricter rules. Under the DSA, the platforms will not only have to be more transparent, but will also be held accountable for their role in disseminating illegal and harmful content. According to insiders, the DSA is considered a world first in the field of digital regulation.

10月4日，欧洲理事会通过了《数字服务法案》（DSA），以确保更安全的在线环境。DSA明确规定了中介服务提供商如社交媒体、在线市场、大型在线平台（VLOPs）和大型在线搜索引擎（VLOSEs）。的义务和责任。这些规则的设计是不对称的，即具有重大社会影响的大型中介服务（VLOPs和VLOSEs）将受到更严格的规则约束。根据该法案, 这些平台不仅需要更加透明化，还必须为其在传播非法和有害内容的行为负责。据业内人士称，DSA被认为是全球数字监管领域的第一项重大法案。

3

USPTO Cuts Time To Respond To TM Office Actions In Half

美专利商标局将商标答复期从6个月缩减至3个月

Beginning on December 3, 2022, trademark applicants will have a shorter time period to respond to official letters from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, part of the agency's ongoing efforts to streamline the trademark application process. In a final rule published Thursday, the USPTO said it was shortening the period of time to respond to office actions relating to trademark applications from six months to three months, with a possibility of a three-month extension for a fee.

从2022年12月3日开始，商标申请人答复美国专利和商标局（USPTO）正式信函的时间将缩短，这是该机构试图努力简化商标申请流程的重要举措。在周四公告的消息中USPTO表示，商标申请人将被要求对商标局商标在审查期间发出的官方意见答复时间从6个月缩短至3个月，并有可能在收费的情况下延长3个月。

IP Practice

4

EU accuses pharma group Teva of breaking antitrust rules

欧盟指控制药集团梯瓦公司违反了反垄断法规定

On Oct 10, the European Commission accused Teva Pharmaceuticals of stifling competition for its branded multiple sclerosis treatment by artificially extending patent protections and spreading misinformation about rival products. It is said that the generic-drug maker had allegedly breached European Union antitrust law and worked to hinder competitors for its blockbuster medicine, Copaxone, from hitting the market. According to report, if the European Commission's preliminary views are confirmed, Teva could face a fine of up to 10% of the company's annual turnover. A Teva spokesperson said in a statement that the company will "defend itself vigorously."

10月10日，欧盟委员会指责梯瓦制药公司（Teva Pharmaceuticals）通过人为扩大专利保护范围并误报竞争对手的产品信息，扼杀了多发性硬化症治疗药物的竞争。据称，这家仿制药制造商违反了欧盟反垄断法，并试图阻止其畅销药物科帕松（Copaxone/醋酸格拉替雷）的竞争对手上市。据悉，如果欧盟委员会的初步意见得到证实，梯瓦公司可能面临高达该公司年营业额10%的罚款。梯瓦航空公司的发言人在一份声明中称，该公司将“积极地为自己辩护”。

5

French court cuts record €1.1 billion Apple fine to €372 million

法国将苹果的罚款从11亿欧元降至3.72亿欧元

On Oct 6, a French court lowered a record 1.1 billion euro antitrust fine on Apple to 371.6 million euros, roughly a third the value of the original penalty. In 2020, the French competition watchdog fined Apple 1.1 billion euros for what it described as Apple's anti-competitive behaviour towards its distribution and retail network, the biggest fine levied by the antitrust regulator. Apple said that while it agreed with the court’s move to reverse part of the French antitrust fine, it believes the decision should be overturned in full and plans to appeal.

10月6日，法国一法院将对苹果公司11亿欧元的反垄断罚款下调至3.716亿欧元，约为最初罚款的三分之一。2020年，法国竞争监管机构对苹果公司处以11亿欧元的罚款，原因是苹果公司对其分销和零售商的反竞争行为，这是该反垄断监管机构开出的一张最大的罚款。苹果公司表示，虽然其同意法院撤销部分法国反垄断罚款的举措，但苹果公司认为，这一决定应该被全面推翻，公司计划继续上诉。

6

NBA, NHL, MLB Launch Trademark Suits Against Chinese E-Sellers

NBA、NHL、MLB起诉中国电商平台卖家商标侵权

On October 5, the NBA, MLB and NHL filed three separate lawsuits in Illinois federal court Wednesday alleging infringement of their copyrights and trademarks by online sellers located in China and other countries. The suits allege that the defendants — a long list of names or, what plaintiffs allege are aliases, of sellers on platforms such as Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, Ebay and others — are trading upon the plaintiffs' reputations and goodwill by selling unauthorized and unlicensed products using counterfeit versions of one or more of the trademarks of the professional sports leagues. The leagues have asked the court to enjoin the continued sale of the counterfeit goods by forcing those online marketplaces to disable the defendant sellers' stores.

10月5日，NBA、MLB（美国职业棒球大联盟）和NHL（美国曲棍球联盟）分别向伊利诺伊州联邦法院提出三起诉讼，指控中国和其他国家的在线卖家侵犯了他们的版权和商标权。诉讼指控阿里巴巴、阿里速运通、亚马逊、Ebay等平台上的多个卖家使用以上一个或多个职业体育联盟的商标，销售未经授权和许可的假冒产品。这些联盟要求法院通过迫使这些在线平台下架上述被告卖家商店，以禁止假冒商品的销售。

7

7. Nokia files multiple lawsuits against OPPO after a German win in August

继德国胜诉后，诺基亚又在多市场对OPPO发起诉讼

According to news on Oct 13, Nokia has forced OPPO out of the lucrative German smartphone market after winning two successive patent lawsuits. Now, Nokia is planning several other lawsuits against OPPO in other markets. According to report, Nokia has sued OPPO for patent infringement in countries including Australia and continues to try to seek injunctions, which may lead to bans for OPPO smartphones in those markets. Earlier this year, the German Mannheim District Court ruled that OPPO infringed on standard essential patents for Nokia's 4G / 5G technology, leading to the ban of OPPO smartphones in the German market.

10月13日消息，在接连打赢两场专利官司后，诺基亚已迫使OPPO退出利润丰厚的德国智能手机市场。日前，诺基亚还计划在其它市场对OPPO发起诉讼。据悉，诺基亚已于澳大利亚等地，起诉OPPO 提起专利侵权，并且继续试图寻求禁售令，这可能导致OPPO智能手机在这些市场也被禁售。此前，德国曼海姆地区法院裁定，OPPO 侵犯了诺基亚 4G / 5G 技术的标准必要专利，导致OPPO智能手机在德国市场被禁售。

8

USPTO director sanctions patent challenger in $2.1 bln Intel dispute

美国专利商标局局长在21亿美元英特尔专利纠纷案中制裁挑战者

US Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal on Tuesday harshly sanctioned an entity OpenSky Industries LLC(hereinafter referred as “OpenSky”) that challenged a patent at the heart of VLSI Technology LLC's $2.1 billion jury verdict against Intel Corp, finding it abused the PTO's patent-challenge process in an attempt to extort both companies. Vidal banned OpenSky from participating in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceeding, ordered it to compensate VLSI unless it can convince the board otherwise, to "safeguard the proper functioning of the patent system, and the confidence therein." VLSI said in a statement provided by its attorney, "Intel’s opportunity to relitigate the validity of VLSI’s patent would not have been possible without OpenSky’s abusive conduct."

周二，美国专利商标局局长Kathi Vidal严厉制裁了一家实体公司OpenSky Industries LLC（以下简称：OpenSky），该实体挑战了陪审团判决的VLSI与英特尔公司21亿美元专利纠纷案中的核心专利，滥用专利商标局的专利挑战程序，试图敲诈两家公司。Vidal禁止OpenSky参与专利审判和上诉委员会的诉讼，命令其赔偿VLSI，以维护专利制度的正常运作及公众信心。VLSL在其律师提供的一份声明中称，如果没有OpenSky的滥用行为，英特尔就不可能有机会对VLSI专利的有效性进行重新诉讼。

Case Analysis

9

The utility model patent right shall go into effect as of the date of announcement. After the utility model patent is granted, any act of producing or selling a patented product for production or business purposes without the authorization of the patentee constitutes an infringement. However, any act of third parties implementing the patented technology after the application date and before the authorization announcement date for the utility model patent is not prohibited by the Patent Law, and doesn’t constitute an infringement. After the utility model patent is granted, the act of implementing the technology that continues without the authorization of the patentee shall constitute an infringement upon the patent right. A product manufactured and sold after the application date and before the authorization date for the utility model patent doesn’t belong to the infringing product. The patentee has no right to prohibit the subsequent sales or use of the non-infringing product after the authorization announcement date.

实用新型专利权自公告之日起生效。实用新型专利被授予后，未经专利权人许可，为生产经营目的生产、销售专利产品的行为构成侵权。而他人在实用新型专利申请日后、授权公告日前实施该专利技术的行为，并不为专利法所禁止，不构成侵权。在实用新型专利权被授予后，实施该技术的行为若仍处于持续状态且未取得专利权人许可，则构成专利侵权。在实用新型专利申请日后、授权日前制造完成并售出的产品不属于侵权产品，专利权人亦无权在授权公告日后禁止非侵权产品的后续销售、使用等行为。

*更多有关本案详情请点击标题链接

英文投稿及市场合作：

[e-mail]

18911449529（微信同号）

往期推荐