歐洲專利訴訟暫時禁制令造成的損害應否賠償?
2019年歐洲法院Bayer Pharma v. Richter and Exeltis案
楊智傑/雲林科技大學 科技法律研究所 教授
專利權人在提起訴訟前,聲請法院核發暫時禁制令,但若最終本案訴訟結果專利無效或不侵權,根據世界貿易組織(WTO)下的與貿易有關智慧財產權協定(TRIPs)和歐盟智慧財產權施行指令之要求,專利權人應賠償該暫時禁制令對侵害被告造成的損失。2019年歐洲法院Bayer Pharma v. Richter and Exeltis案則認為,如果侵權被告沒有自己採取行為避免或減少損害,則法院可不准予賠償該暫時禁制令造成之損害。
Bayer公司主張,其無庸賠償該損失,因為Richter和Exeltis是自己故意、違法地(intentionally and unlawfully)將系爭產品提早於市場上進行銷售。另外,其認為,根據匈牙利民法第340條(1)規定:「受害人有義務,在系爭環境下如一般所預期的,去避免損害發生或減少損害擴大。加害人不需要賠償因受害人未遵守前項義務而產生之損失。[20]」,而本案的Richter和Exeltis,並沒有積極避免損害擴大,故不應給予賠償[21]。
TRIPs, Article 50(7) ( “‘Where the provisional measures are revoked orwhere they lapse due to any act or omission by the applicant, or where it issubsequently found that there has been no infringement or threat ofinfringement of an intellectual property right, the judicial authorities shallhave the authority to order the applicant, upon request of the defendant, toprovide the defendant appropriate compensation for any injury caused by thesemeasures.”).中文採智慧局翻譯版本並加以修改。
EU Directive 2004/48 on the enforcement ofintellectual property rights, Article 9(1)(a)(“1. Member States shall ensurethat the judicial authorities may, at the request of the applicant: (a) issueagainst the alleged infringer an interlocutory injunction intended to preventany imminent infringement of an intellectual property right, or to forbid, on aprovisional basis and subject, where appropriate, to a recurring penaltypayment where provided for by national law, the continuation of the allegedinfringements of that right, or to make such continuation subject to thelodging of guarantees intended to ensure the compensation of the rightholder;…”).
EU Directive 2004/48, Article 9(7)(“ 7.Where the provisional measures are revoked or where they lapse due to any actor omission by the applicant, or where it is subsequently found that there hasbeen no infringement or threat of infringement of an intellectual propertyright, the judicial authorities shall have the authority to order theapplicant, upon request of the defendant, to provide the defendant appropriatecompensation for any injury caused by those measures.”).
Case C‑688/17, BayerPharma v. Richter and Exeltis, ECLI:EU:C:2019:722.
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Hungary, Civil Code, Article 340(1)(“The injured party is under anobligation to act as would generally be expected in the circumstances inquestion in order to avoid or to mitigate the loss. A party shall not becompensated for loss resulting from the injured party’s failure to comply withthat obligation.”).