ブログ

日本では、製品に特許番号などを付すること（特許表示といいます）は法的に特に意味はなく、特許表示を行わなくても、損害賠償請求を行うことの障害にはなりません。
一方、米国では、２８４条で特許表示について規定されており、特許表示がない場合は、侵害者に通知をした後の侵害に対してしか損害賠償請求をすることができません。
この表示の義務は、”patented article”に対して課せられているので、方法特許には特許表示の義務は有りません。
§ 287. Limitation on damages and other remedies; marking and notice
(a) Patentees, and persons making, offering for sale, or selling within the United States any patented article for or under them, or importing any patented article into the United States, may give notice to the public that the same is patented, either by fixing thereon the word “patent” or the abbreviation “pat.”, together with the number of the patent, or when, from the character of the article, this can not be done, by fixing to it, or to the package wherein one or more of them is contained, a label containing a like notice. In the event of failure so to mark, no damages shall be recovered by the patentee in any action for infringement, except on proof that the infringer was notified of the infringement and continued to infringe thereafter, in which event damages may be recovered only for infringement occurring after such notice. Filing of an action for infringement shall constitute such notice.