翻訳コラム

TPP協定による特許法改正で審査に時間がかかり、特許権の設定登録が遅れた場合に、存続期間が延長されることとなります。
延長されるべき最長の期間について規定があります。つまり延長される期間は以下に規定する期間内ということです。

特許出願日から5年
または
出願審査請求日から3年
のいずれか遅い日(基準日)以降に特許権設定登録がされた場合

1. (基準日〜特許権設定登録日の期間)
   ―(マイナス)
   特許庁から通知、命令があった日から手続を執られた日までの期間
2. (基準日〜特許権設定登録日の期間)
   ―(マイナス)
   応答の期間を延長した場合に、延長後の期間満了〜手続が執られた日までの期間
3. (基準日〜特許権設定登録日の期間)
   ―(マイナス)
   期間経過後でも手続をとることが認められている場合に、期間満了〜手続が執られた日までの期間(*)
   (*) たとえば、特許料の追納(4年分以降の特許料は、納付期間経過後であっても6ヶ月以内は追納できる)

つまり、基準日〜特許権設定登録日は、審査に一定期間以上時間がかかった期間です。この期間分は存続期間延長を認めるが、出願人が通知に対する応答など手続をするのにかかった時間は差し引かれるという意味です。

延長される期間はまだまだ規定されています。次回以降のブログで。

According to the amended patent laws in the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreement, a patent's validation period may be extended if either considerable time was taken to examine the patent application or if it was registered late.
There is a fixed maximum time frame to which the patent can be extended, namely the term to be extended cannot exceed the following periods: either a five year period from the patent application date or a three year period from the date in which the examination was requested. The time frame always ends up being whichever date ends later (this latter date is called the standard date).

However, the following three subtractions must also be considered:

1. If there were any special instructions or commands from the JPO that had to be taken care of, then the amount of days it took to fulfill such requests must be subtracted from the patent's validation period (the validation period is the period that spans the date in which the patent's rights were established to the standard date).
2. If a period for responding to something has been extended then the time it took to complete the response after the term's expiration to the time it took to fulfill the procedure, this entire period must be subtracted from patent's validation period.
3. If, upon expiration of a patent's validation term it is realized that other procedures have to be taken care of(*), then the duration of those procedures in days must be subtracted from the patent's validation term.
   (*) Examples could include late payments for patent fees (patent fees of the 4th and subsequent years may be paid even after the payment term expires).

In other words, the period between the standard date and the date in which the patent was registered does not include the time it took for the JPO to undergo the patent's investigation. The length of time may be allowed to be extended, but any time in which applicants either responded to commands, requests etc. are subtracted.

The term of extension however is still more complicated than this, and as such it shall be continued in the next blog.