專利佈局的困境

120 年前，美國最高法院在 Topliff v. Topliff 判例中提到：「專利說明書和專利權項是很難精確表達的法律文件之一；尤其是當發明內容非常複雜的時候。事實上，寶貴的發明經常是交給缺乏經驗的人來撰寫專利說明書及專利權項[註]，那就難怪專利權項所記載的內容，往往沒有以所需要的精確程度來表達專利權人的真實發明：專利權項的內容包含了實際上不屬於專利權人/發明人所提出的技術特徵；或者，專利權項的內容遺漏了真實發明構想裡有價值或必要的元件。」

原文如下：
“The specification and claims of a patent, particularly if the invention be at all complicated, constitute one of the most difficult legal instruments to draw with accuracy; and, in view of the fact that valuable inventions are often placed in the hands of inexperienced persons to prepare such specifications and claims, it is no matter of surprise that the latter frequently fail to describe with requisite certainty the exact invention of the patentee, and err either in claiming that which the patentee had not in fact invented, or in omitting some element which was a valuable or essential part of his actual invention.” Topliff v. Topliff, 145 U.S. 156, 171, 12 S.Ct. 825, 831 (1892).

註：根據美國專利法，專利權項 (claim) 是專利說明書 (specification) 的一部分。