RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/67
14May1997
ORGANIZATION(97-2017)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OFLEGISLATION INTHE FIELDS OFPATENTS, LAYOUT-DESIGNS
(TOPOGRAPHIES) OFINTEGRATED CIRCUITS, PROTECTION OF
UNDISCLOSED INFORMATION AND CONTROL OF
ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES IN
CONTRACTUAL LICENCES
Replies from Switzerland toquestions posed byJapan
Thefollowing communication, dated 12May1997, hasbeenreceived from thePermanent
Mission ofSwitzerland.
_______________
GENERAL COMMENTS
Attention isdrawn tothefactthatthePrincipality ofLiechtenstein andSwitzerland have, within
theframework oftheirCustoms Union Treaty of1923, concluded in1978 aTreaty ontheProtection
ofPatents (Patent Treaty), which hasbeencomplemented in19941.Under thePatent Treaty, both
countries constitute aunitary territory ofprotection. Theapplicable lawforthatunitary territory is
thePatent LawofSwitzerland. Patents canbegranted, transmitted, cancelled, orlapse onlyforthe
whole territory ofprotection. Bothcountries areparties totheEuropean Patent Convention of1973
andtothePatent Cooperation Treaty of1970. Under these treaties, theycanbedesignated together
only.
REPLIES TOTHE QUESTIONS POSED BYJAPAN
Patents
1. Inyourcountry, arethefollowing subject matters protectable bypatent: (1)Plants andanimals,
and(2)Plant andanimal varieties?
Article 1aoftheSwiss Patent Lawprovides forthesame solution asArticle 53lit.bofthe
European Patent Convention.
1SeeSwitzerland 'snotification IP/N/CHE/1 (inparticular remark 4oftheAnnex) andLiechtenstein 'snotification
IP/N/1/LIE/P/1. Thebilateral agreements mentioned hereabove werealsotransmitted bySwitzerland totheTRIPS Council
together withnotification IP/N/4/CHE/1 andbyLiechtenstein withnotification IP/N/4/LIE/1.IP/C/W/67
Page2
Itexcludesplantandanimalvarietiesfrompatentability.However,plantsandanimalsingeneral
arepatentable provided thattheconditions forpatent protection arefulfilled (novelty, industrial
applicability andinventiveness inparticular).
(n.b.: Plant varieties areprotected inSwitzerland byasuigeneris protection inconformity withthe
UPOV Convention (1978 Act).)2
2. Inyourcountry, istheactofoffering forsaleincluded intheexclusive rights ofpatent?
Yes. SeeArticle 8(2)oftheSwiss Patent Law.
3. Inyourcountry, whatkinds ofactsarerecognized asexceptions totheexclusive rights conferred
byapatent right?
Under Article 8(1)oftheSwiss Patent Law, onlythepatent owner hastheexclusive rightto
the"professional" useoftheinvention. Thefollowing exceptions totheexclusive rightarepossible:
(a) useforprivate purpose; and
(b) useforanalysis, study orresearch purposes (provided thatsuchactsarenotconsidered
asbeing preparations inviewofaprofessional use).
Anypersonwho,priortothefilingdateofthepatentapplication,wasingoodfaithprofessionally
using theinvention inSwitzerland orhadmade special preparations forthatpurpose, isallowed to
continue suchuse(Article 35oftheSwiss Patent Law).
Inaccordance withArticle 48oftheSwiss Patent Law, apatent willhavenoeffect against
persons whohaveprofessionally usedaninvention ingood faithinSwitzerland orhavemade special
preparations forthatpurpose between
(i) thelastdayofthetimelimitprescribed forpayment ofanannual feeandthefiling
dateoftherequest forfurther processing (Article 46a)orforrestitutio inintegrum
(Article 47); or
(ii) between thelastdayofthepriority period (Article 17(1)) andthefiling dateofthe
patent application.
4. Inyourcountry, inwhich caseisusewithout theauthorization oftherightholder permitted,
including usebythegovernment orbythird parties authorized bythegovernment?
"Government use"isnotknown inSwitzerland.
Asfarasother useswithout theauthorization oftheright holder areconcerned, theSwiss
legislation provides forthefollowing:
(a) licences fordependent inventions (Article 36oftheSwiss Patent Law);
(b) licences fornon-working oftheinvention inSwitzerland (Article 37oftheSwiss Patent
Law), importation being considered asworking ofthepatent;
(c) licences inthepublic interest (Article 40oftheSwiss Patent Law);
2Ratification ofthe1991 Actisforeseen. Itistobenoted thatSwitzerland isalready granting, bywayofordinance,
protection tovarieties ofalmost allplant genera andspecies.IP/C/W/67
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(d) licences forviolations ofcompetition law(only inthefield ofsemi-conductor
technology; Article 40aoftheSwiss Patent Law).
Thegrant oftheabove-mentioned licences issubject toverystrict requisites, mostofwhich
havebeenadded totheSwiss Patent Lawinorder tocomply withtherequirements ofArticle 31of
theTRIPS Agreement (seeinparticular Article 40boftheSwiss Patent Law).
Itshouldbenotedthat,toourknowledge,nocompulsorylicencehasbeengrantedinSwitzerland.
5. Inyourcountry, howistheobligation under TRIPS Articles 34.1and34.2regarding theshift
oftheburden ofproof incivilproceedings forpatent infringement related toaprocess patent
implemented?
Under Article 67(1) oftheSwiss Patent Law, iftheinvention concerns aprocess forthe
manufacture ofanewproduct, every product ofthesame composition isdeemed tohavebeenobtained
bythepatented process untilproof tothecontrary hasbeenadduced.
Reversal oftheburden ofproof asembodied inArticle 67(1) oftheSwiss Patent Lawisalso
applicable inthecaseofaprocess forthemanufacture ofaknown product, ifthepatent owner shows
prima facieevidence ofinfringement ofthepatent (Article 67(2) oftheSwiss Patent Law).
TheSwiss Patent Lawtherefore goesbeyond Article 34oftheTRIPS Agreement.