如何应对专利“恐怖”主义(9): 虎出SIR招，龙何以对？

前面介绍过龙虎争霸(interference)，就是你和别人争夺某个专利。在个别情况下，别人(虎申请人)可能会放弃专利(waives the right to receive a patent on the invention)，转而只要求美国专利局 publish SIR (即Statutory Invention Registration)。作为龙，你将如何应对？我认为你可以有两个选择，一个是积极的，另一个是消极的。积极的做法是不但要挑起争霸，而且要将争霸进行到底，势在必得，并阻止美国专利局publish虎SIR。消极的做法是，既然老虎不要专利牙齿，自废武功(严格讲是自废对武功的追求)，将来你要实施那个技术，老虎也不会用那个could be虎专利来赶你咬你，你干脆偃旗息鼓，放弃争霸。消极做法的代价是，也没人会用那个could be虎专利来赶其他任何人，就此一点，你会和别人处于同样的竞争地位。积极做法当然不一样，如你拿到专利，可以用它去赶别人，你肯定不会自个儿赶自个儿，因此一点，你会比别人多个竞争优势。

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, the Director is authorized to publish a statutory invention registration (虎出SIR招) containing the specification and drawings of a regularly filed application for a patent without examination if the applicant (虎SIR的条件)(1) meets the requirements of section 112 of this title; (2) has complied with the requirements for printing, as set forth in regulations of the Director; (3) waives the right to receive a patent on the invention (自废武功) within such period as may be prescribed by the Director; and (4) pays application, publication, and other processing fees established by the Director.

If an interference is declared with respect to such an application (你坚持争霸), a statutory invention registration may not be published (不许publish虎SIR) unless the issue of priority of invention is finally determined in favor of the applicant (除非虎是先发明人).

(b) The waiver under subsection (a)(3) of this section by an applicant shall take effect upon publication of the statutory invention registration.

(c) A statutory invention registration published pursuant to this section shall have all of the attributes specified for patents in this title except those specified in section 183 and sections 271 through 289 of this title (老虎could自废的武功中最厉害的). A statutory invention registration shall not have any of the attributes specified for patents in any other provision of law other than this title. A statutory invention registration published pursuant to this section shall give appropriate notice to the public, pursuant to regulations which the Director shall issue, of the preceding provisions of this subsection. The invention with respect to which a statutory invention certificate is published is not a patented invention for purposes of section 292 of this title.

(d) The Director shall report to the Congress annually on the use of statutory invention registrations. Such report shall include an assessment of the degree to which agencies of the federal government are making use of the statutory invention registration system, the degree to which it aids the management of federally developed technology, and an assessment of the cost savings to the Federal Government of the uses of such procedures.