其一不是唯──美國最高法院Bilski判決評析

The One is not the Only One--- Comments on U.S. Supreme Court's Ruling in Bilski v. Doll

商業方法專利，顧名思義，就是將“做生意的方法”（method of doing business）賦予專利權的保護。在當今電子商務發達如此蓬勃發展，知識經濟掛帥的時代，一個獨特的創意，或是便捷的商業手段，在電腦與網路科技所帶來的加乘效果下，即可能帶來無限的商機。商業方法專利雖非等同於電腦軟體專利，然而多數的商業方法專利係以電腦軟體的形式呈現或予以執行，因此，電腦軟體與商業方法間具有一定之關聯性，故在美國有關商業方法專利的案例發展及學術討論上，都與電腦軟體專利密不可分。因此，本文先簡介美國聯邦最高法院與聯邦巡迴上訴法院對於電腦軟體與商業方法專利適格性之一系列案例，藉以帶出商業方法專利之發展背景與脈絡，接著再就Bilski一案做一初步之分析，以探求該案對商業方法專利在專利適格性的議題上所帶來的影響。
自一九九八年美國的State Street Bank案以來，包括電子商務、銀行業務、金融商品操作、保險、稅務等計算或繳款方式等諸如此類的商業方法專利申請案暴增，美國對於該等商業方法的專利申請亦從最初採取「商業方法除外原則」（business method exception）轉為相當開放的態度，這樣態度的轉變當然也招致正、反兩面的評價，因為獲得專利保護的商業方法數量大增，甚或有浮濫之嫌，也引發對於此等專利之品質的疑問，是以本文也將針對商業方法專利之未來及影響，以法律經濟分析之角度提出初步之分析。

To grant patent to business method is literally to grant an exclusive patent protection to the “method of doing business.” In current knowledge economy era, a unique idea of doing business, or an efficient business solution, could bring unlimited business opportunities and revenues with the help of information technologies and internet.
Business method patent is not synonymous to software patent under the patent law. However, as most modern business method patents are executed or illustrated in the forms of computer software, there is a certain correlation between the modern business method patents and the software patents. Hence, as we could observe from the precedents and academic discussions, the developments of business method patents are closely interlinked with software patents.
Therefore, this article will first introduces the patentability issues and its developments of business method and software under the Supreme Court and Federal Circuit Court jurisprudences in order to explore the backgrounds and veins of the developments of modern business method patent. Then this article will attempt to review the recent Bilski decision and its affects to the patentability issues of business method patent. This article will also further explore the underlying policy arguments of business method patent from the perspective of law and economics, and argue that overly expansion of business method patent is not publicly desirable under the current patent law system.