翻訳コラム

今日も平成27年特許法改正をお伝えします。職務発明は会社のものとなることを勤務規則等で予約できることとなりますが、当然に「相当の利益」が支払われます。これまでの予約承継の「相当の対価」から「相当の利益」に表現が変わっています。報奨金のほか、昇進、留学も考えられます。
これを決定するときは、従業者と使用者の協議、策定された基準、従業者から意見聴取が考慮されます(新特許法35条5項)。これでも対価が不合理なときは、使用者の利益、負担、貢献、従業者の処遇などを考慮して決定することが定められ(7項)、これも今までと同じ表現です。対価が不合理であるときは裁判所が決定することができるとの意味であり、この点ではあまり規定が変わっていません。
最終的には裁判所が決定できるとなると、法外な請求がされるという企業の不安感は取り除かれません。

Again, the news for the Patent Act amendment in 2015, in which it may be provided in an employment regulation etc. in advance that an employee's invention shall belong to an employer (a company), for which “appropriate benefits" shall be paid. The term acquirer of options has changed from “appropriate values" to “appropriate benefits".
The appropriate benefits may include an employee's promotion or overseas education as well as the reward which has been paid under the existing Patent Act.
The consultation between an employee and an employer, established standards, and an employee's opinions etc. shall be considered when determining the appropriate benefits (Article 35(5) of the new Patent Act). If the price is still unreasonable, the price shall be determined considering an employer's benefits, burden, contribution, an employee's treatment etc. (Article 35(7)), which is the same expression as that under the existing Act, which means that in case where the price is unreasonable, the court is able to decide.
Namely, the new Patent Act has not been drastically amended except that an employee's invention shall belong to an employer when the employment regulation provides so in advance.
If the court can determine the price in the end, the company's anxiety about the excessive cost for the reward from an employee will not dissipate.