The Balance between Competition Law and Standard-Essential Patent License - Case Study of Network Communication Industry

[[abstract]]知識經濟時代的崛起，智慧財產權等無形資產的重要性與日俱增，甚至將遠大於有形資產，智慧財產權中之專利權，係為一個國家鼓勵發明與創新，賦予專利權人在一定期間與範圍內享有排除他人實施利用其專利技術的無體財產權。而技術標準為需要協調統一的技術所制定，乃根據生產技術活動的經驗與總結作為技術上共同遵守的規則。 隨著世界經濟區域化、全球化的發展趨勢，以及現代科學技術在生產、貿易中的作用日益突顯，出現技術標準與專利權相結合的現象，除了提升市場的影響力，由於技術標準之推動與專利權之排他特性相衝突，也引發一系列的法律問題。網路通訊技術以實現互聯互通為目的的特質，導致網路通訊產業對技術標準的需求比其他產業更加迫切，因此網路通訊標準化的專利權問題不僅出現得早、發展得快，並且已經在整體產業中占據了重要的地位。 網路通訊技術更新迅速，規範一項系統或用戶設備的技術標準中，可能涵蓋許多分別屬於不同權利人的專利，隨之衍生競爭法之限制競爭、專利法之強制授權、專利聯盟以及競爭法與專利法交錯適用等相關問題，成為本論文主要之探究內容。 目前主要由市場主導網路通訊產業的發展，然而這並不表示國家不需要管理網路通訊標準，主管機關除了藉由法律規範標準必要專利權人的行為，防止標準必要專利權人以其私利為導向，進一步需要考量本國的產業現況與其經濟發展在全球之定位，對市場競爭進行調節，同時對技術標準化進行規範與引導。[[abstract]]With the coming of knowledge-based economy era standardization and intellectual property rights are key contributors to industrial innovation and industrial competitiveness Standards are agreed technical specifications to ensure that a single technology is used across an industry often with the goal of achieving interoperability of products regardless of the manufacturer Patent is one form of intellectual property protection that provides incentives for research and development and facilitate knowledge transfer Many standards comprise innovative technologies that are protected by patents especially in network communication industry A standard-essential patent is a patent that claims an invention that must be used to comply with a technical standard The potential for conflict between patents and standards arises when the implementation of the standard necessitates the use of technology protected by one or more standard-essential patents Although the objective of a standard setting organization as well as of participating companies is to establish standardized technology that can be used as widely as possible righholders may have a commercial interest in pushing for the adoption of their own patented technology in the framework of the standard so that they could benefit from royalties The present thesis clarifies some of the issues that arise around the enforcement of standard-essential patent rights and the interaction with competition law in announcing the outcome of cases involving major companies of network communication industr