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ContributionNot ContributionInventive StepUnpatentable Invention?

Definizione Negativa di "Contributo" / "Invenzione"

Un miglioramento nell'efficienza dell'elaborazione dati, quale il risparmio di tempo o spazio di memoria, non dovrebbe costituire un "contributo tecnico". Se lo fosse, ogni nuovo metodo di elaborazione dati e metodo commerciale diventerebbe brevettabile. Questo codifica sia la prassi (caselaw) Tedesca che quella Britannica. Sono stati proposti vari emendamenti in merito a questo punto.
  1. Introduction
  2. Votes
  3. Emendamenti in dettaglio
La forma più semplice per avanzare la necessaria chiarificazione sarebbe "Un miglioramento nell'efficienza dell'elaborazione dati non è un contributo tecnico". Probabilmente ciò può ancora essere ottenuto trovando un compromesso tra gli emendamenti di Ortega e Kudrycka e altri. Sarebbe un po' problematico se il principio fosse da limitarsi a "soluzioni a problemi tecnici" o "soluzioni di elaborazioni di dati". Invece dovrebbe applicarsi a tutte le soluzioni. Inoltre, benché il termine "invenzione" può e dovrebbe normalmente essere considerato un sinonimo di "contributo tecnico", in caso qualcuno volesse fare una distinzione tra i due, dovrebbe essere chiaro che questa misura si applica a limitare il "contributo", che il termine più inequivocabile.

2. Votes

num.sottoposto davotocritiche
98Ortega- this does not exclude anything: the argument for contribution of programs and business methods will always be that they make something faster or more efficient than before, not that they use known data processing equipment. The latter will always lack novelty and inventive step anyway.
111 112 113Kudrycka, Zwiefka; Bertinotti; Kauppi++ These amendments codify both UK case law (Gale's application) and Germany's case law (German High Patent Court's ruling in the Error Search case). As the German court found: if an improvement of efficiency in the use of computing resources, such as time or data space, is deemed to be a technical contribution, then all computer-implemented business methods become patentable.
115Ortega++

Amendment 98

submitted by:
Manuel Medina Ortega
provision:
art 4 par 2
topic:
Negative Definitions of "Contribution" / "Invention"
recommendation:
-
amendment
A computer-implemented invention shall not be regarded as making a technical contribution merely because it involves the use of a computer, network or other programmable apparatus. Accordingly, inventions involving computer programs, whether expressed as source code, as object code or in any other form, which implement business, mathematical or other methods and do not produce any technical effects beyond the normal physical interactions between a program and the computer, network or other programmable apparatus in which it is run shall not be patentable. No se considerará que una innovación asistida por ordenador aporta una contribución técnica meramente porque implique el uso de un ordenador, red u otro aparato programable.
justification
Ver justificación de la enmienda al artículo 4 apartado 1 de Manuel Medina Ortega.

Critique

this does not exclude anything: the argument for contribution of programs and business methods will always be that they make something faster or more efficient than before, not that they use known data processing equipment. The latter will always lack novelty and inventive step anyway.

Amendment 111

submitted by:
Barbara Kudrycka, Tadeusz Zwiefka
provision:
art 4 par 2 a nov
language:
English
topic:
Negative Definitions of "Contribution" / "Invention"
recommendation:
++
amendment
  Member States shall ensure that data processing solutions are not considered to be patentable inventions merely because they improve efficiency in the use of resources within data processing systems.
justification
Nobody ever writes software without trying to optimise the use of computing resources.

This amendment makes sure that this fact does not justify the granting of a patent. This codifies both UK case law (Gale's application) and Germany’s case law (BpatG’s ruling in the Error Search case). As the German court found: if an improvement of efficiency in the use of computing ressources, such as time or data space, is deemed to be a technical contribution, then all computer-implemented business methods become patentable.

This amendment corresponds to article 6 in the consolidated text of the EP’s first reading, except that

Critique

These amendments codify both UK case law (Gale's application) and Germany's case law (German High Patent Court's ruling in the Error Search case). As the German court found: if an improvement of efficiency in the use of computing resources, such as time or data space, is deemed to be a technical contribution, then all computer-implemented business methods become patentable.

Amendment 112

submitted by:
Fausto Bertinotti
provision:
art 4 par 2 a nov
language:
English
topic:
Negative Definitions of "Contribution" / "Invention"
recommendation:
++
amendment
  Member States shall ensure that data processing solutions are not considered to be patentable inventions merely because they improve efficiency in the use of resources within data processing systems.
justification
Nobody ever writes software without trying to optimise the use of computing resources.

This amendment makes sure that this fact does not justify the granting of a patent. This codifies both UK case law (Gale's application) and Germany’s case law (BpatG’s ruling in the Error Search case). As the German court found: if an improvement of efficiency in the use of computing ressources, such as time or data space, is deemed to be a technical contribution, then all computer-implemented business methods become patentable.

This amendment corresponds to article 6 in the consolidated text of the EP’s first reading, except that

Critique

These amendments codify both UK case law (Gale's application) and Germany's case law (German High Patent Court's ruling in the Error Search case). As the German court found: if an improvement of efficiency in the use of computing resources, such as time or data space, is deemed to be a technical contribution, then all computer-implemented business methods become patentable.

Amendment 113

submitted by:
Piia-Noora Kauppi
provision:
art 4 par 2 a nov
language:
English
topic:
Negative Definitions of "Contribution" / "Invention"
recommendation:
++
amendment
  Member States shall ensure that data processing solutions are not considered to be patentable inventions merely because they improve efficiency in the use of resources within data processing systems.
justification
Self-explanatory.

Critique

These amendments codify both UK case law (Gale's application) and Germany's case law (German High Patent Court's ruling in the Error Search case). As the German court found: if an improvement of efficiency in the use of computing resources, such as time or data space, is deemed to be a technical contribution, then all computer-implemented business methods become patentable.

Amendment 114

submitted by:
Manuel Medina Ortega
provision:
art 4 bis nov
topic:
Negative Definitions of "Technical" and "Field of Technology"
amendment
  Los Estados miembros garantizarán que el procesamiento de datos no se considere un ámbito de tecnología en el sentido del derecho de patentes y que las innovaciones en el ámbito del procesamiento de datos tampoco se considere invenciones en el sentido del derecho de patentes.
justification
Se garantiza el cumplimiento del ADPIC asegurándose que los programas informáticos no pertenezcan al ámbito de la tecnología. Obsérvese que esto no excluye a los dispositivos utilizados para el procesamiento de los datos de la patentabilidad.

Un ordenador puede solamente llevar a cabo dicho procesamiento, pero crear una nueva clase de ordenadores es un progreso en la ingeniería electrónica y no en el procesamiento de datos.

Amendment 115

submitted by:
Manuel Medina Ortega
provision:
art 4 ter nov
topic:
Negative Definitions of "Contribution" / "Invention"
amendment
  Los Estados miembros garantizarán que las soluciones a los problemas técnicos aplicadas a través de ordenador no sean consideradas como invenciones patentables cuando solamente mejoren la eficacia en el uso de recursos en los sistemas de procesamiento de datos.
justification
Se garantiza que hacer que un programa funcione con mayor rapidez o que use menos memoria no pueda ser utilizado como justificación para conceder una patente.

Esta enmienda corresponde al artículo 6 del texto consolidado en primera lectura del PE.

[ Definizione di Contributo Tecnico | Definizione Negativa di "Contributo" / "Invenzione" | Districare Contributo Tecnico e Passo Inventivo | Rimpiazzare "invenzione" con "innovazione" quando non è stabilita la brevettabilità ]
http://swpat.ffii.org/papri/europarl0309/amends05/juri0504/nekontrib.it.html
© 2005-08-01 Hartmut PILCH
versione italiana 2005-06-17 di Simo SORCE