Kyocera vs.ITC案後台灣企業的ITC訴訟策略

Abstract

本論文研究之美國聯邦巡迴上訴法院於2008年10月15日做出Kyocera Wireless v.International Trade Commission之判決，改變限制性排除令(Limited exclusion order)的範圍，聯邦巡迴上訴法院認為國際貿易委員會(International Trade Commission, ITC)沒有法律上的權力去將限制性排除令的範圍擴及到非被列名為被告的廠商之下游產品(downstream products of non-respondents)。美國專利訴訟律師及法學評論者，均認為此判決，將會造成在國際貿易委員會的涉案廠商增多，並且會改變廠商在國際貿易委員會的專利訴訟策略。本文探究在國際貿易委員會的涉訟廠商是否會如同學者專家所預期的情況，同時導致台灣企業面臨國際貿易委員會的訴訟機率大增。本文以ITC網站上的官方資料做統計研究，並以Kyocera Wireless v. International Trade Commission之判決為時間區分點，統計Kyocera案一年以前的單一案件平均被告數，以及Kyocera案一年以後的單一案件平均被告數，並且進行計量分析；藉由單一專利侵權調查案的平均被告數的改變，分析是否Kyocera案後，原告傾向以多數被告的策略來保護其專利權。研究結果發現在Kyocera案後，平均被告數確實增加，並且在特定的產業增加幅度更大。同時透過案件解讀觀察國際貿易委員會與聯邦巡迴上訴法院引用Kyocera案件的情況，進行分析。最後分別對於原告、被告做出相關專利訴訟策略建議。

This study analyzed the October 10, 2008 adjudication of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in Kyocera Wireless v. International Trade Commission, which altered the scope of the Limited Exclusion Order (LEO). The CAFC held that the International Trade Commission (ITC) lacks authority to expand the scope of LEO to downstream products of non-respondents. According to this case, most of lawyers and law critics indicate that this adjudication may increase the potential in increasing the number of companies suited in ITC and changing the strategy of patent infringement suit of company in ITC. The issue is whether the number of companies sued by the ITC would substantially increase as scholars and experts expected to induce increasing chance of Taiwan companies involved in ITC suit. In this issue, the author collected, studied and analyzed authority data from ITC website. The author also compared patent infringement investigations before and after Kyocera Wireless v. International Trade Commission. The average numbers of defendants in patent infringement investigations before and one year after the Kyocera decision were compared and quantified. The author analyzed the change in the average numbers of defendants in patent infringement investigations to determine whether the complainants prefer to apply strategy of suiting more defendants in the ITC for protecting their patent right after the Kyocera case？ The research results indicate that the average number of defendants in patent infringement lawsuits increased after Kyocera Wireless v. International trade commission and was particularly higher in certain sectors such as the memory industry. Moreover, the author compared ITC and CAFC cases that cited the Kyocera case. Finally, the strategies employed by complainants and defendants involved in patent infringement cases were suggested.