美國關稅法337條款國內產業要件之研究─以Coaxial Cable Connectors觀察連結要素的運用與發展

Abstract

美國關稅法337條款自始以來帶有強烈的貿易色彩，保護美國內國產業的競爭力為其重要使命，也因此，國內產業的存在為337條款違反的適格要件。1988年「綜合貿易與競爭力法案」放寬了國內產業的要求，刪除了產業須「受有損害」、「有效率且符合經濟效率營運中」兩項證明要求，新增「研發」、「工程設計」及「授權」可為國內產業成立基礎，此後國內產業要求嚴格程度大幅降低，USITC角色實質等同於智慧財產權的執行機關。在既有的專利紛爭救濟雙軌系統下，337專利調查提供諸多有利原告的談判優勢，且該些優勢無法調合於聯邦法院專利訴訟程序，因此制度上的差異便成為操作利用的方向。隨著近三年來美國國際貿易員會對此議題的反思與再造，本研究期望對國內產業要件作一完整體系性的說明：以歷史文獻回顧說明 337條款重要特徵的形成演變，以敘述統計瞭解現今337專利調查案的各項特點，以實際337專利調查案的質性分析，說明以專利為主的國內產業要件的各項構面、經濟分支第三子分支連結要素過往判斷歧異之處、Coaxial Cable Connectors案所建立連結判斷的基本原則，以及在Coaxial Cable Connectors案後，Comm’n如何以案件來進一步演繹、充實連結性判斷的基本原則。本研究文末綜合整理在Coaxial Cable Connectors案後委員會就經濟分支第三子分支在案例中表達的重點意見，以為潛在的337調查案原、被告參考。

Section 337 was enacted to protect the competitiveness of industries in the United States and thus is strongly connected to trade law. To serve the mission given by the Congress, a domestic industry is required and serves as the prerequisite before Commission can find a Section 337 violation. The Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act in 1988 (the Act) loosed this requirement by eliminating the elements of “injury” and “efficiently and economically operated”. The addition of “engineering, research and development or licensing” as the bases for domestic industry in the Act further transformed the USITC as an IP enforcement agency. Currently, under the two tracks of patent dispute resolution, patent-based Section 337 investigations provide a complainant with crucial procedural benefits which are hardly to be harmonized with the Federal patent litigation procedures. These inconsistencies are easy to be manipulated by the patent assertion entities. With Commission’s reflection and reconstruction of domestic industry in the last three years, this paper analyzes the current characteristics of patent-based Section 337 investigations, framework and main features of domestic industry requirement, controversial discrepancies of Prong C in the past cases, new infrastructure set forth in Coaxial Cable Connectors, and how the Commission further elaborates and enriches this infrastructure through following cases. This paper also synthesizes guidance of Prong C found post-Coaxia Cable Connectors for prospect Section 337 complainants or respondents as an easy reference.