Patent·Score 17

China's Supreme Court Defines 'Infringement as a Business' in Blueberry Variety Case

China's Supreme People's Court upheld punitive damages against a plant nursery that began selling unauthorized blueberry varieties right upon its establishment, ruling that high ratios of illicit stock constitute 'infringement as a business'.

WISECODE Take

新成立的公司如果從第一天起就主要靠未授權技術獲利,法院不會將其視為初犯或無心之過,而是會直接認定為「以侵權為業」。 最高人民法院在(2025)最高法知民終469號判決中指出,某農業基地於2024年7月18日成立後,隨即在微信與抖音銷售未授權藍莓種苗,在其培育的12萬株苗木中,未獲合法授權的品種比例超過67%。法院據此認定該基地構成以侵權為業,維持一審判令賠償14萬4,000元人民幣及懲罰性賠償。 這意味著靠私下取得試驗品或偷拿枝條進行二次繁殖的商業行為,在訴訟中將面臨加倍懲罰的極高風險。只要企業具備合法授權合約或不從事品種繁育,這項認定原則便與您無關;而若涉及跨國品種引進,知典的專利布局健檢能協助釐清授權鏈的合法性。 企業在對外進行品種或技術採購時應注意兩點:第一,務必查驗供應商的原始授權合約與繁殖許可證明;第二,內部研發或繁育過程應建立完整的進貨憑證與溯源紀錄,避免因舉證不能而被推定為非法來源。 法院對侵權企圖的判斷已從事後銷售行為延伸至企業設立之初的供應鏈取得合規性。

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