{"id":8311,"date":"2021-03-11T10:42:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T08:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.marketsonline.co.za\/spoor_bkp\/?p=8311"},"modified":"2025-01-14T09:18:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T07:18:12","slug":"ignorance-is-bliss-but-not-for-patent-infringement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dev2.marketsonline.co.za\/spoor_bkp\/ignorance-is-bliss-but-not-for-patent-infringement\/","title":{"rendered":"Ignorance is bliss\u00a0–\u00a0but not for patent infringement.\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1742, poet\u00a0Thomas Gray\u00a0wrote,\u00a0\u201cWhere ignorance is bliss, \u2018tis folly to be wise\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Gray did not mean what we have since assumed: that\u00a0ignorance is\u00a0literally\u00a0bliss. Instead,\u00a0he referred to his\u00a0being ignorant as a child and\u00a0therefore\u00a0being able to enjoy the wonders of life,\u00a0without\u00a0having to bear\u00a0the\u00a0considerable\u00a0burden\u00a0of\u00a0adult responsibilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast-forwarding\u00a0in time,\u00a0technology\u00a0evolved\u00a0and in 1980\u00a0we saw\u00a0the\u00a0movement from mechanical and analogue technology to digital technology. This,\u00a0the\u00a0Digital\u00a0Revolution, led\u00a0digital technologies\u00a0to\u00a0accelerate,\u00a0to the extent that we now live in a\u00a0largely\u00a0digital society.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We enjoy\u00a0easier access\u00a0to\u00a0and distribution of information. But there is a down-side:\u00a0being ignorant\u00a0today\u00a0can\u00a0land\u00a0us\u00a0in deep water, especially in the context of patent infringement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If you create an invention<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s say that you\u00a0created an\u00a0invention.\u00a0From\u00a0the outset,\u00a0it\u00a0had\u00a0economic potential,\u00a0life-saving benefits,\u00a0or\u00a0the capacity to\u00a0resolve global issues.\u00a0Before exploiting the invention, you studied the market,\u00a0conducted research\u00a0and concluded that\u00a0your\u00a0invention\u00a0would be new.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You decided that it\u00a0would be\u00a0\u201csafe\u201d to use the invention.\u00a0But, after the invention\u00a0had\u00a0been exploited in the market, you received\u00a0a communication\u2026\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour product\u00a0is\u00a0infringing on an existing\u00a0patent.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Can\u00a0\u2018innocent infringement\u2019;\u00a0i.e.\u00a0not knowing that your invention infringes on an existing\u00a0patent,\u00a0be used as a form of defence?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Innocent infringement<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0Proctor v Bennis\u00a0&\u00a0Others<\/i>\u00a01887 4 RPC 333 at 356, the\u00a0Court held that if the defendant\u2019s act constitutes an infringement, even though the defendant acted in a way that was\u00a0bona fide\u00a0<\/i>or honest, he\/she\u00a0would\u00a0not be protected from an injunction.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, even\u00a0an innocent act of infringement\u00a0cannot be regarded as a defence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But are\u00a0you\u00a0liable to pay damages,\u00a0if\u00a0you were not aware\u00a0of the existence of\u00a0the\u00a0patent?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In each country,\u00a0the\u00a0patent\u00a0laws in respect of\u00a0damages\u00a0for\u00a0innocent infringement are different.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0the\u00a0USA\u00a0and China, any party directly infringing on a patent,\u00a0irrespective of innocent infringement,\u00a0is liable to pay damages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0the\u00a0UK\u00a0and Australia, there is a provision\u00a0for\u00a0not\u00a0awarding damages\u00a0for\u00a0innocent infringement. The onus is on the infringer to prove that,\u00a0at the date of infringement,\u00a0he\/she\u00a0was unaware\u00a0that the patent existed. The test is an objective test;\u00a0taking into account the circumstances\u00a0of the case,\u00a0with very\u00a0few cases\u00a0having favoured the innocent party. This complicates\u00a0the use of this provision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

South Africa\u00a0has\u00a0a\u00a0similar provision as\u00a0the\u00a0UK\u00a0and Australia.\u00a0The South African Patents Act 57 of 1978 provides that\u00a0a defendant\u00a0may\u00a0not\u00a0be\u00a0liable for damages\u00a0if,\u00a0at the date of the\u00a0infringement,\u00a0he\/she\u00a0was not aware, and had no reasonable means of making himself aware, of the existence of the patent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Further,\u00a0if the article was marked\u00a0\u201cpatent\u201d,\u00a0\u201cpatented\u201d or\u00a0similar,\u00a0but\u00a0was\u00a0not\u00a0accompanied by the\u00a0patent\u00a0number,\u00a0this does not\u00a0constitute notice of the existence of the patent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll need a sound case<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Granted,\u00a0infrastructure and the\u00a0ease of\u00a0access\u00a0to\u00a0information\u00a0have\u00a0changed\u00a0vastly\u00a0through the years.\u00a0The internet\u00a0is\u00a0\u2018at our fingertips\u2019,\u00a0quite literally,\u00a0and\u00a0most of\u00a0the Patent Offices\u00a0around\u00a0the world, including South Africa\u2019s,\u00a0have accessible online patent databases.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As such,\u00a0the courts\u00a0are unlikely to take lightly\u00a0a claim of \u2018innocent infringement\u2019\u00a0and,\u00a0to avoid damages for patent infringement, you\u2019ll need\u00a0to make\u00a0a sound case of\u00a0your\u00a0unawareness\u00a0as to\u00a0the existence of the patent.\u00a0No\u00a0easy task, and not one in which innocence is bliss.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Yogani Reddy<\/a> is\u00a0a\u00a0Patent Attorney\u00a0and\u00a0Senior Associate\u00a0at Spoor & Fisher South Africa. She has\u00a0BSc (Chem\u00a0Eng) and LLB\u00a0cum laude<\/i>\u00a0degrees.\u00a0Yogani\u2019s\u00a0experience includes domestic and international patent matters, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications. She specialises in the chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, agrochemical and metallurgical fields. Yogani\u00a0is also skilled\u00a0in subject matter prior art searches, including the analysis and drafting of search reports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1742, poet\u00a0Thomas Gray\u00a0wrote,\u00a0\u201cWhere ignorance is bliss, \u2018tis folly to be wise\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 But Gray did not mean what we have since assumed: that\u00a0ignorance is\u00a0literally\u00a0bliss. Instead,\u00a0he referred to his\u00a0being ignorant as a child and\u00a0therefore\u00a0being able to enjoy the wonders of life,\u00a0without\u00a0having to bear\u00a0the\u00a0considerable\u00a0burden\u00a0of\u00a0adult responsibilities.\u00a0 Fast-forwarding\u00a0in time,\u00a0technology\u00a0evolved\u00a0and in 1980\u00a0we saw\u00a0the\u00a0movement from mechanical and analogue technology to digital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"knowledge_center_type":[18],"class_list":["post-8311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-article","knowledge_center_type-latest-news-and-insights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIgnorance is bliss\u00a0-\u00a0but not for patent infringement.\u00a0 - Spoor & 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