奧瑪國際翻譯社

專利文件翻譯

 

專利，即專利權的簡稱，主要分為發明、實用新型及工業設計三種類型。各國政府設立專利制度，其目的在於鼓勵民眾從事發明，保護發明人（或其受讓人或繼承人）的權利，並指導專利權人與民眾以合法、適當的方式利用發明，以促進產業發展。專利制度是讓專利權人在法定期間（例如：20年）內享有專利技術的排他權（注意，並非獨占權），使其享有商業上的特權利益，以鼓勵其將知識公開分享。當專利權法定期間屆滿，專利權即告消滅，民眾即可根據專利說明書所揭露的內容，自由運用其專利技術。

 

申請專利，必須向政府機關提出「專利說明書」，明確且充分揭露其發明技術的內容到可具體實施的地步（不可僅是漫天空想），並界定請求的權利範圍。請求的權利範圍如不符合專利要件（例如：發明是既有的習知技術），就會被駁回，無法取得專利權。由於專利要件的判斷涉及不確定法律概念，專利專責機關對專利範圍在其判斷餘地中所為的專業判斷經常引發爭議，因而導致專利爭訟。

 

專利範圍（claim）是由專利文件所揭露的特定技術特徵加以界定。上述專利文件，在中國即是「權利要求書」；在台灣即是「申請專利範圍」；在美國，專利權範圍被記載在「專利說明書」中，通常位在「What is claimed is:」或「We claim:」等字句後方。

 

Patent Document Translation

 

A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for detailed public disclosure of an invention. An invention is a solution to a specific technological problem and is a product or a process. Patents are a form of intellectual property.

 

The procedure for granting patents, requirements placed on the patentee, and the extent of the exclusive rights vary widely between countries according to national laws and international agreements.

 

Typically, however, a granted patent application must include one or more claims that define the invention. A patent may include many claims, each of which defines a specific property right. These claims must meet relevant patentability requirements, such as novelty, usefulness, and non-obviousness.

 

The exclusive right granted to a patentee in most countries is the right to prevent others, or at least to try to prevent others, from commercially making, using, selling, importing, or distributing a patented invention without permission.