우선권 1년 마감일이 공휴일인 경우의 PCT 출원
우선권 1년 마감일이 공휴일인 경우에 PCT 출원을 1년 이후에 할 수 있을지?
그 경우 우선권이 모든 진입국가에서 유효할까?
PCT 출원상의 규정
PCT Article 8
PCT Article 8에는 우선권 출원의 조건/ 효과에 대해 규정하고 있다.Article 8
Claiming Priority
(2)(a) Subject to the provisions of subparagraph (b), the conditions for, and the effect of, any priority claim declared under paragraph (1) shall be as provided in Article 4 of the Stockholm Act of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property
(b) The international application for which the priority of one or more earlier applications filed in or for a Contracting State is claimed may contain the designation of that State. Where, in the international application, the priority of one or more national applications filed in or for a designated State is claimed, or where the priority of an international application having designated only one State is claimed, the conditions for, and the effect of, the priority claim in that State shall be governed by the national law of that State.
PCT 8(2)(a)는 파리조약 Article 4의 조건과 효과에 따라 PCT 출원에서도 우선권을 선언할 수 있다는 것이고, PCT 8(2)(b)는 하나 이상의 우선권이 "자기 지정"인 경우 자국법이 적용된다는 뜻이다.
PCT Receiving Office Guidelines Chapter VII: Priority Claims and Priority Documents
Requirements for Priority Claims:
(d) PCT Article 8(2)(a) and Article 4C(1) of the Paris Convention require that the date on which the earlier application was filed must be a date falling within the period of 12 months preceding the international filing date. Rule 2.4(a) defines the “priority period” accordingly. It should be noted, however, that Rule 26bis.2(c)(iii) provides that a priority claim shall not be considered void if the international filing date is within two months from the date on which the priority period expired. It should be further noted that Article 4C(3) of the Paris Convention provides that if the last day of the priority period is an official holiday or a day when the Office is not open for the filing of applications, the period shall be extended until the next working day of the Office. Rule 80.5, implementing extensions of time periods which expire while the relevant Office is closed or no mail is delivered, applies mutatis mutandis to the priority period (Rule 2.4(b)) and directly to the two-month period from its expiry.
한편, 위의 PCT Receiving Office 가이드라인을 보면 PCT 8(2)(a)와 관련하여 Receiving Office가 휴일인 경우 다음날로 연장된다고 한다.
PCT Rule 80.5
80.5 Expiration on a Non-Working Day or Official Holiday
If the expiration of any period during which any document or fee must reach a national Office or intergovernmental organization falls on a day:
(i) on which such Office or organization is not open to the public for the purposes of the transaction of official business;
(ii) on which ordinary mail is not delivered in the locality in which such Office or organization is situated;
(iii) which, where such Office or organization is situated in more than one locality, is an official holiday in at least one of the localities in which such Office or organization is situated, and in circumstances where the national law applicable by that Office or organization provides, in respect of national applications, that, in such a case, such period shall expire on a subsequent day; or
(iv) which, where such Office is the government authority of a Contracting State entrusted with the granting of patents, is an official holiday in part of that Contracting State, and in circumstances where the national law applicable by that Office provides, in respect of national applications, that, in such a case, such period shall expire on a subsequent day;
the period shall expire on the next subsequent day on which none of the said four circumstances exists.
(b) The international application for which the priority of one or more earlier applications filed in or for a Contracting State is claimed may contain the designation of that State. Where, in the international application, the priority of one or more national applications filed in or for a designated State is claimed, or where the priority of an international application having designated only one State is claimed, the conditions for, and the effect of, the priority claim in that State shall be governed by the national law of that State.
PCT 8(2)(a)는 파리조약 Article 4의 조건과 효과에 따라 PCT 출원에서도 우선권을 선언할 수 있다는 것이고, PCT 8(2)(b)는 하나 이상의 우선권이 "자기 지정"인 경우 자국법이 적용된다는 뜻이다.
PCT 규칙과 가이드라인
PCT Receiving Office Guidelines Chapter VII: Priority Claims and Priority Documents
Requirements for Priority Claims:
(d) PCT Article 8(2)(a) and Article 4C(1) of the Paris Convention require that the date on which the earlier application was filed must be a date falling within the period of 12 months preceding the international filing date. Rule 2.4(a) defines the “priority period” accordingly. It should be noted, however, that Rule 26bis.2(c)(iii) provides that a priority claim shall not be considered void if the international filing date is within two months from the date on which the priority period expired. It should be further noted that Article 4C(3) of the Paris Convention provides that if the last day of the priority period is an official holiday or a day when the Office is not open for the filing of applications, the period shall be extended until the next working day of the Office. Rule 80.5, implementing extensions of time periods which expire while the relevant Office is closed or no mail is delivered, applies mutatis mutandis to the priority period (Rule 2.4(b)) and directly to the two-month period from its expiry.
한편, 위의 PCT Receiving Office 가이드라인을 보면 PCT 8(2)(a)와 관련하여 Receiving Office가 휴일인 경우 다음날로 연장된다고 한다.
PCT Rule 80.5
80.5 Expiration on a Non-Working Day or Official Holiday
If the expiration of any period during which any document or fee must reach a national Office or intergovernmental organization falls on a day:
(i) on which such Office or organization is not open to the public for the purposes of the transaction of official business;
(ii) on which ordinary mail is not delivered in the locality in which such Office or organization is situated;
(iii) which, where such Office or organization is situated in more than one locality, is an official holiday in at least one of the localities in which such Office or organization is situated, and in circumstances where the national law applicable by that Office or organization provides, in respect of national applications, that, in such a case, such period shall expire on a subsequent day; or
(iv) which, where such Office is the government authority of a Contracting State entrusted with the granting of patents, is an official holiday in part of that Contracting State, and in circumstances where the national law applicable by that Office provides, in respect of national applications, that, in such a case, such period shall expire on a subsequent day;
the period shall expire on the next subsequent day on which none of the said four circumstances exists.
위의 PCT 규칙에도 동일한 내용이 나와 있다.
따라서 PCT 출원의 Receiving office가 공휴일인 경우 다음날 적법하게 우선권을 주장할 수 있다. 그러나 이는 PCT Article 8(2)(a)에 따른 경우에 한정된 것이고, PCT Article 8(2)(b)가 적용되는 자기 지정의 상황에서는 그렇지 않을 수 있다.
예제
미국에서 우선권 출원, 1년 뒤가 미국 공휴일이라서 1년 기한의 다음날 미국에서 PCT 출원하고, 여러 국가에 개별국 진입한 경우
이 경우는 모두가 해피한 상황이다. 미국에서는 자국법이 적용되고 미국이 공휴일이었으니 우선권은 적법하다. 나머지 국가에서는 PCT Article 8(2)(a) 이 적용되고 Receiving Office인 미국이 휴일이었으니 우선권은 적법한 것이다.
미국에서 우선권 출원, 1년 뒤가 미국 공휴일은 아니고 유럽 공휴일이라서 1년 기한의 다음날 유럽에서 PCT 출원하고, 여러 국가에 개별국 진입한 경우
이 경우 미국이 아닌 국가에서는 PCT Article 8(2)(a) 이 적용되고 Receiving Office인 유럽이 휴일이었으니 우선권은 적법한 것이다. 하지만, 미국에서는 자국법이 적용되고 자국법상 1년 마감일이 휴일이 아니었으므로 우선권이 부적법하다 (정확히 자국법이 어떤지는 확인 하지 않음 - 아마 엄격하게 판단하는 것으로 보임).
정리하면, 우선권 1년 마감일이 공휴일인 경우에는, 우선권이 있는 그 국가로 진입하는 개별국 출원에서는 자국법 적용되므로 주의해야 함.
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