急需:关于美国337条款的英文文章,最好带中文翻译
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发布时间：2022-04-25 04:19
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时间：2023-07-08 02:44
美国337条款解读
□ 文希凯
在美国，专利权人有权依法禁止他人在美国生产其受保护的专利产品和在海外仿制其专利产品后销往美国。有两条途径可以起诉这种侵权行为：利用1930年美国关税法第337条（以下简称第337条）向美国国际贸易委员会提出；向联邦地区*提出。但越来越多的美国企业利用337条并非为防止国际侵权，而是为阻止进口。随着国际社会对保护知识产权的日益重视和中美贸易持续增长，在美国开展业务的中国生产商必须正视其出于不公平贸易而被美国公司起诉至美国国际贸易委员会、货物被美国海关禁止进口的危险。为此，知识产权专家提醒，要掌握规则，防“337纠纷”于未然。
何为337条款
根据第337条，美国国际贸易委员会有权拒绝一切侵犯美国知识产权的产品进入美国。作为“准司法机构”，美国国际贸易委员会起保护美国公司免受外国公司的不公平竞争的作用。美国国际贸易委员会一旦认定某项进口货物存在不公平贸易，遭受不公平贸易的美国公司会向其提出美国国门应向该货物关闭的要求。
根据第337条，可向美国国际贸易委员会提起的起诉一般包括进口货物存在对知识产权侵犯的指控。美国国际贸易委员会对胜诉方的救济的形式包括排除令——对某特定产品禁止进口，以及停止或拒绝令——禁止进口方进入，也可同时发出两个命令。可见，一旦美国权利人胜诉，对进口方将产生致命打击。
第337条禁止的是一切不公平竞争行为或向美国进口产品中的任何不公平行为，所谓“进口贸易中的不公平做法”是指：“货物所有人、进口人、收货人或其代理人将货物进口美国或在美国销售时使用不公平竞争方法和不公平行为，其威胁或效果足以摧毁或实质损害美国国内产业，或阻碍此类产业的建立，或*、垄断了美国的贸易和商业，或者将货物进口美国、或为进口美国而销售，或进口美国后销售，而该种货物侵犯了美国己经登记的有效且可执行的专利权、商标权、版权或集成电路芯片布图设计专有权，并且在这四项权利方面己经存在或者尚在建立”。
这表明衡量不公平做法的标准是该进口是否对美国某产业的生存或发展构成威胁或损害，例如妨碍或扼制某产业的形成、导致在美国形成贸易垄断等。第337条特别用于禁止任何侵犯美国知识产权的产品进入美国市场，禁止任何在国外利用有效美国专利方法生产的产品进入美国市场。这在客观上使美国知识产权权利人比外国竞争者更具优势，明显使外国竞争者在进入美国市场时受第337条诉讼的威胁或困扰，而必须考虑用昂贵的诉讼程序维护自己的利益。第337条提供的救济较之美国国内侵权诉讼当事人向美国地区*起诉所能得到的救济也更为直接。此外，外国公司在美国国际贸易委员会中面对的行政程序也比在美国地区*更为繁琐。
委员会的调查
根据第337条，进口行为是否为不公平做法取决于美国国际贸易委员会的调查，其“应当依请求或者依其职权对任何指控的违法行为进行调查。在调查开始后，委员会应当就此在联邦登记簿上发布公告，并应当尽早结束调查并作出决定。为了促进快速审判，委员会应当在调查开始后的45天内，确定其作出终局决定的目标日”。整个程序通常需要一年，较为复杂的案件则可以延期6个月结束，但也必须在18个月内完成。
美国国际贸易委员会应当及时指定行*官，并将337调查转移由该法官主持。如果调查结果是当事方违犯了第337条的规定，委员会将发出命令，禁止由违法方输入的所有侵权货物进入美国。“考虑到这种排除对公共健康和福利、美国经济中的竞争条件、类似的或者直接的竞争产品在美国的生产、美国消费者的影响”，委员会若认为不应当排除该类物品进入美国，也可选择不采取行动。
在选择禁止货物进入美国的情况下，美国国际贸易委员会的该禁止令应仅限于被发现违法的、由违法方输入的所有物品，这是“有限排除令”或“有限禁止令”。另一方面，为避免有限排除令的片面性，或如果己对侵权情况有所了解，而且难于识别货物的来源，美国国际贸易委员会有权不管进口方的身份对所有类似产品一律予以排除，这被称为“普遍排除令”，或“总禁止令”。它禁止某一种类的所有进口产品进入美国市场，而不区别原产地或生产商和目前尚未掌握的未来的生产商和进口商。
如果在调查进行之间，美国国际贸易委员会认为侵权正在发生，有权发布临时排除令。但进口方只要按美国国际贸易委员会规定的金额提供担保，充分保护美国起诉方的利益不受伤害，则进口方的货物仍可进入美国市场。除排除令外，美国国际贸易委员会可以发布命令，要求违法方停止和不再从事不公平竞争行为，也可能发布临时停止或拒绝令。不遵守命令将面临大约10万美元或相当于其每天违令输入美国产品的国内价值两倍的民事处罚。
美国国际贸易委员会也能发布命令，对违反第337条规定输入的产品进行扣押和没收。扣押和没收产品只发生在权利人、进口方或者保管人先前曾尝试输入该产品，该产品由于排除令被拒绝进口，而且进口方在前次进口时曾被送达排除令并已被通知其产品有可能被扣押和没收的情况。
终局决定
无论美国国际贸易委员会作何种决定，最后须由美国总统核审。美国总统收到决定后60天内可否定美国国际贸易委员会的决定，则该决定停止有效。如果总统赞同美国国际贸易委员会的命令，或者在60天内不否定该命令，除可能接受美国联邦*上诉庭的司法审查外，美国国际贸易委员会的决定和命令则成为终局决定。
总之，根据337条款，美国企业只要能证明进口产品有违法或侵犯知识产权的事实，并且美国国内确实有相关产业即可申请国际贸易委员会立案，对竞争对手起到牵制和*作用。对应诉企业来讲，由于调查内容通常涉及知识产权保护和专业技术，往往必须依靠律师和技术专家，负担十分繁重。企业应尽量预先做好与知识产权有关的调查研究工作，尽量避免自己陷入337条款纠纷。
Interpretation of the U.S. Section 337
□ Wen Xikai
In the United States, people have the right to patent law to prohibit the proction of others in the United States protected its patent procts and overseas patent imitation of its procts to the United States. There are two ways to prosecute such violations: The 1930 U.S. tariff law Article 337 (hereinafter referred to Article 337) to the U.S. International Trade Commission; to the federal district court. But more and more U.S. companies are not using 337 for the prevention of international infringement, but in order to prevent the imports. As the international community to protect intellectual property rights and the increasing emphasis on sustained growth of Sino-US trade in the United States operating in China must face up to its manufacturers an unfair trade for U.S. companies have been prosecuted to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the goods prohibited by the U.S. Customs The risk of imports. To that end, intellectual property experts advise, it is necessary to have rules, anti-"337 disputes" in Weiran.
What is Section 337
Under section 337, the U.S. International Trade Commission the right to reject all violations of U.S. intellectual property procts into the United States. As a "quasi-judicial body," the U.S. International Trade Commission to protect U.S. companies from foreign companies, the role of unfair competition. Once the U.S. International Trade Commission that imports of goods there is a fair trade, unfair trade, U.S. companies will be put to it by the United States the country should close the request of the goods.
Under section 337 may be directed to the U.S. International Trade Commission instituted the prosecution of the general existence of imports of goods, including allegations of violations of intellectual property rights. The U.S. International Trade Commission Sheng Sufang relief in the form of exclusion orders - of a certain proct import ban and stop or refuse to - banned the import side access, can also issued two orders. Thus, if the United States won the right people, the importer will have a fatal blow.
Section 337 is prohibited by all acts of unfair competition or imported procts to the United States in any unfair act, the so-called "import of unfair trade practices" means: "all goods, the importer, the consignee or his agent Imports of goods will be sold in the United States or the United States the use of unfair methods of competition and unfair acts, the threat or effect to destroy or damage the U.S. domestic instry in real terms, or hinder the establishment of such instries, or limit, a monopoly of the U.S. trade and Commercial, or imports of goods the United States, or imports for the United States and sales, or sales of imports after the United States, and the kinds of violations of the United States has been registered valid, enforceable patent, trademark, copyright or integrated circuit chip layout Proprietary design, and in this four rights has been established there, or is still. "
This shows that the practice is unfair to measure the standard is whether the import of a certain U.S. instries pose a threat to the survival or development or damage to, for example, prevent or curb the formation of a certain instry, resulting in the formation of the U.S. trade monopolies. Article 337 specifically for the prohibition of any violations of U.S. intellectual property procts into the U.S. market, to prohibit any use of overseas proction of an effective U.S. patent procts into the U.S. market. This objective in the United States on intellectual property rights than foreign competitors a better position, obviously to foreign competitors in entering the U.S. market, subject to section 337 of the threat of litigation or distress, but must consider the use of expensive proceres to safeguard its interests . Section 337 provides relief infringement litigants than the United States to the United States District Court for prosecution can also be a relief more directly. In addition, foreign companies in the United States International Trade Commission in the face of the administrative proceres than in the United States District Court for a more cumbersome.
Commission of Inquiry
Under section 337, imports of whether unfair practices on the U.S. International Trade Commission's investigation, "or should be, if so requested, according to the terms of reference to any alleged offence under investigation. In the investigation began, the Committee should be in the Federal Register this Book on the announcement, and should be concluded as soon as possible to investigate and make a decision. In order to facilitate speedy trial, the Committee should be the start of the investigation within 45 days, to determine its final decision on the target. " The whole process usually takes a year, more complicated cases can be delayed six months ended, but must also be completed within 18 months.
The U.S. International Trade Commission administrative judge should be designated a timely manner, and 337 investigations of judges presided over by the transfer. If the findings of the parties is a violation of the provisions of section 337, the Commission will issue an order to prohibit the illegal importation from all infringing goods entering the United States. "Taking into account this exclusion of public health and welfare of the U.S. economy in the conditions of competition, similar or directly competitive procts in the United States, proction, the impact on U.S. consumers", the Commission should not rule out the possibility that if such goods into the U.S., Also may choose not to take action.
In the choice of prohibited goods entering the United States circumstances, the U.S. International Trade Commission of the prohibition order should be limited to the offence was discovered by the illegal importation of all goods, which is "limited exclusion order" or "limited prohibition order." On the other hand, the limited exclusion order to avoid one-sidedness, or if the violations have to understand, but difficult to identify the source of goods, the U.S. International Trade Commission have the right to import, regardless of the identity of all similar procts will be excluded, which was Known as the "general rule out", or "total prohibition order." It prohibits certain types of all imported procts into the U.S. market, without distinction of origin or proction and has not yet grasp the future of manufacturers and importers.
If the survey was concted between the U.S. International Trade Commission that violations are taking place, the power to issue temporary exclusion orders. But as long as the imports by the U.S. International Trade Commission the amount specified in the provision of security and full protection of the interests of the United States prosecution from harm, the importer of the goods can enter the U.S. market. In addition to the exclusion, the U.S. International Trade Commission may issue an order to stop the illegal and no longer engage in acts of unfair competition, may stop or refuse to issue interim orders. Does not comply with the order will face about 100,000 U.S. dollars or the equivalent of the daily breach of its procts enter the United States twice the value of the domestic civil penalties.
The U.S. International Trade Commission also issued an order, the breach of section 337 provisions of imported procts seized and confiscated. Seizure and Confiscation of procts only in the right people, the importer or the custodian had previously tried to enter the proct, the proct was refused e to the exclusion of imports, but imports in the previous imports had been served and has been ruled out so that informed Procts are likely to be seizure and confiscation of the situation.
Final decision
Whether the United States International Trade Commission made the decision to end the trial by the President of the United States. President of the United States received a decision within 60 days after denying the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision, the decision to cease to be valid. If the president agreed with the U.S. International Trade Commission's order, or within 60 days does not deny the order, with the exception of the United States Federal Court may accept the judicial review the Court of Appeal, the U.S. International Trade Commission's decision and order has become final.
In short, under Section 337, U.S. companies can prove that as long as the imported procts have breached the law or the fact that the infringement of intellectual property rights, and the United States do have the relevant instries can file applications for International Trade Commission, the rivals played to contain and limit the role. Of the enterprises involved in speaking, usually because of investigation involving intellectual property protection and expertise, often must rely on lawyers and technical experts, the burden is very heavy. Enterprises should do a good job as far as possible in advance related to intellectual property rights investigations and studies, to avoid disputes themselves into 337 articles.
