Publication: Rekabet hukuku açısından patent hakkı
Abstract
Yaratıcılar lehine tanıdıkları tekel yetkileri ile yenilikleri ve buluşları teşvik etmeye çalışan fikri ve sınai haklarla, rekabet hukuku arasındaki çatışmaları sistematik bir çözüme kavuşturmak, günümüzde modern hukuk düzenlerinin en önemli problemlerinden birini teşkil etmektedir. Bu çatışmaların önemli bir kısmı fikri ve sınai haklar arasında en sert tekel yetkileri veren patent hakkı alanında yaşanmaktadır. Patent korumasının rekabet hukuku açısından ortaya çıkarttığı sorunlar iki grupta toplanabilir. İlk grupta patent sahibi tarafından, patent koruması altında uygulanan ticari stratejilerin ve onun tarafından açılan patent ihlali davalarının doğurduğu rekabet hukuku problemleri; ikinci grupta ise patent lisansı sözleşmelerinde yer alan hükümlerden kaynaklanan sorunlar bulunmaktadır. Çalışmamız ilk grupta yer alan sorunlar üzerinde odaklanmış, patent lisansı sözleşmeleri genel olarak çalışmanın konusu dışında tutulmuştur. Bununla birlikte, konuyu yakından ilgilendirdiği noktalarda belirli bazı patent lisansı sözleşmesi hükümlerine özel olarak değinilmiştir. Çalışma, giriş ve sonuç bölümleri haricinde beş ana başlıktan oluşmaktadır. İlk başlık altında genel olarak fikri-sınai haklar ve rekabet hukuku ilişkisi incelenmiştir. İkinci başlık altında patent hakkının konusu, kapsamı ve niteliği üzerinde durularak, mevcut mevzuat çerçevesinde patent korumasının piyasada yol açacağı rekabeti kısıtlayıcı etkiler belirlenmeye çalışılmıştır. Üçüncü başlık altında patent hakkının kanuni sınırları rekabet hukuku açısından incelenmiş ve bu sınırlamalardan patent-rekabet hukuku dengesini sağlamada ne şekilde ve ne ölçüde faydalanılabileceği tartışılmıştır. Dördüncü başlık altında patent devirlerinin yarattığı rekabeti kısıtlayıcı etkiler ve bunlara karşı başvurulabilecek hukuki yollar incelenmiştir. Beşinci başlık altında patent sahibinin rekabet hukukuna aykırı eylemleri incelenerek, patentin kötüye kullanılması kavramı açıklığa kavuşturulmaya çalışılmış ve patentin kötüye kullanılması durumunda uygulanabilecek müeyyideler incelenmiştir.
Having a systematical solution for the conflicts between competition law and intellectual and industrial property rights which tries to encourage innovation and invention activities by granting monopoly power to the creators is one of the most important problems of modern law systems today. A significant part of those conflicts are about patents which provides the widest and most effective monopoly power among the industrial property rights. The problems caused by patent protection in competition law can be seperated into two groups. In the first group there are the competition law matters originating from commercial strategies applied and patent infringement cases filed by patent owners. And in the second group there are the matters about patent license agreements. Our study has focused on the problems in the first group and patent license agreements ara generally kept out of the subject of the study. However, as some license agreement clauses are closely related to our subjects, we specifically referred to them in the related parts of the study. Our study consists of five main headings except the introduction and conclusion parts. Under the first heading, the relationship between intellectual and industrial property rights and competition law is generally and briefly reviewed. Under the second heading, we try to find out the anti-competitive effects of patent protection on the market according to the current patent legislation, following some explanations about the subject, scope and characteristics of the patent right. Under the third heading, the statutory boundaries of the patent right are reviewed in the competition law context and it is discussed how and to what extent they can be used to reduce the adverse effects of patent protection and to create a balance between patent and competition law. Under the fourth heading, assignments of patent rights which have anti-competitive and restrictive effects are reviewed. Under the fifth (and last) heading, we review the acts of patent owners which violate competition law and try to make clear the term 'patent misuse'. After that we explain the sanctions those can be applied to a patent owner who misused his patent.
Having a systematical solution for the conflicts between competition law and intellectual and industrial property rights which tries to encourage innovation and invention activities by granting monopoly power to the creators is one of the most important problems of modern law systems today. A significant part of those conflicts are about patents which provides the widest and most effective monopoly power among the industrial property rights. The problems caused by patent protection in competition law can be seperated into two groups. In the first group there are the competition law matters originating from commercial strategies applied and patent infringement cases filed by patent owners. And in the second group there are the matters about patent license agreements. Our study has focused on the problems in the first group and patent license agreements ara generally kept out of the subject of the study. However, as some license agreement clauses are closely related to our subjects, we specifically referred to them in the related parts of the study. Our study consists of five main headings except the introduction and conclusion parts. Under the first heading, the relationship between intellectual and industrial property rights and competition law is generally and briefly reviewed. Under the second heading, we try to find out the anti-competitive effects of patent protection on the market according to the current patent legislation, following some explanations about the subject, scope and characteristics of the patent right. Under the third heading, the statutory boundaries of the patent right are reviewed in the competition law context and it is discussed how and to what extent they can be used to reduce the adverse effects of patent protection and to create a balance between patent and competition law. Under the fourth heading, assignments of patent rights which have anti-competitive and restrictive effects are reviewed. Under the fifth (and last) heading, we review the acts of patent owners which violate competition law and try to make clear the term 'patent misuse'. After that we explain the sanctions those can be applied to a patent owner who misused his patent.