Cloud computing: A brief overview of intellectual property issues 'in the cloud'
December 23, 2020| Smart & Biggar -Patrick RoszellCloud computing has increasingly become a dominant model for computer and information technology service, with the majority of businesses worldwide using computing resources and storing data “in the cloud.” However, despite the ease of use and convenience of cloud computing, moving data and services into the cloud raises several legal issues for both cloud computing providers and users. This article highlights some of the issues and questions related to intellectual property (IP) rights raised by cloud computing.
What is cloud computing?
Generally, “cloud computing' is the remote delivery of computing services and resources to a client. Data is stored and/or processed remotely from the client, on infrastructure that is generally called the “cloud.” The client can access this infrastructure remotely, usually over the Internet. Importantly, the client (e.g. a personal computer) does not have to perform any of the data storage or processing that now occurs in the cloud, significantly reducing the hardware, software and security requirements of the client device.The actual implementation of cloud computing systems can vary greatly. Example cloud computing service models include: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Generally, SaaS models allow clients to access and use software applications over the Internet, rather than storing and running the applications locally. PaaS models provide access to a computing platform (e.g. Microsoft Windows) on which applications may be run or developed. IaaS models provide access to computer infrastructure on demand (e.g. data storage, networking and computing resources).
The advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing
One of the advantages of cloud computing is that individuals and businesses can avoid the costs of buying, installing and maintaining sophisticated hardware and software. Instead, this infrastructure is handled by the cloud provider remotely. However, this means that it is not clear where the cloud provider’s hardware and software is physically located, or where the client’s data is physically stored.For example, services may be sold to a client in one particular jurisdiction, but that client's data may be stored and processed at one or multiple locations in the same or other jurisdictions. The client may not have any knowledge of where the data is stored or processed. Data may be stored redundantly in multiple locations and in multiple jurisdictions, and may be fragmented in storage. Data may even be stored in different countries at different times. Various aspects of data processing may also occur in different jurisdictions.The amorphous nature of cloud computing makes determining how the law will apply—or even what law will apply—a challenge. Because IP rights are territorial and a single cloud computing service can touch multiple jurisdictions, it is unclear in many instances what IP laws will apply in the cloud computing environment.
Three cloud computing issues for patent owners
Patents are inherently jurisdictional: they confer rights only in the country in which the patent is granted. For example, a Canadian patent grants the patentee the exclusive right to make, use and sell an invention for the term of the patent. However, it does not grant any of these rights in any other country. This poses a challenge for cloud computing systems that extend across international borders.The multi-jurisdictional nature of cloud computing, and the amorphous nature of the 'cloud,' give rise to a number of possible complications for patent owners or licensees trying to assert their patent rights against potential infringers.
1) Uncertainty over jurisdictional scope of infringement
As a general principle, infringement of a patent requires meeting every element of a claimed system or process. However, technology implemented in the cloud may be spread over multiple jurisdictions. This presents a potential challenge for patent owners: is the test for infringement satisfied if some of the claimed elements are met in a different country?There are doctrines in the Canadian jurisprudence which could provide a basis for finding infringement where part of a claim is satisfied outside of Canada. However, Canadian law on the issue has not been settled, and in any event is likely to be highly fact dependent.Jurisdictional issues also present uncertainty for clearing patent risks. Just as cloud-implemented technology may touch multiple jurisdictions, there is also the potential to attract liability in multiple jurisdictions. The law of each jurisdiction will need to be taken into account. For example, if a system is patented and used in the United States, infringement of the U.S. patent(s) may occur even if a part of the infringing system is located elsewhere (e.g. in Canada).1Ultimately, patent owners would be well-served to recognize that cloud computing puts a wider range of jurisdictional possibilities into play and should be sure to construct portfolios that include rights wherever they may be needed.Similarly, businesses should take a broad view when assessing risks and should consider all jurisdictional possibilities.
2) Multiple components operated by different parties
Cloud computing systems may include multiple components, each operated by a different party. For example, servers storing data may be owned and operated by one company, while system components relaying or processing data retrieved from those servers may be owned and operated by another company. These components may be contracted out to yet another company, who might then use those components to service end users. Because in this scenario different parties are responsible for providing different aspects of the system, it may be that no single party infringes all of the elements of a patented invention. Instead, the elements of the invention may be divided between two or more parties. The Canadian Patent Act does not provide for divided infringement, and the issue has not been considered by Canadian courts.To some extent, this can be addressed by careful crafting of patent rights – applicants should avoid claiming inventions in such a way as to permit elements to be easily separated, and should be creative in claiming inventions from multiple perspectives to ensure robust coverage.
3) Difficulty in detecting infringement
Cloud computing also presents challenges in detecting infringement. By their nature, cloud systems often obscure or abstract some technical detail. For example, the client of a cloud computing service may not know where or exactly how its data is stored or processed. It also may not be possible for the client to reverse engineer the service—at the client end—to detect infringement. Further, a service provider's infrastructure may not be publicly accessible in a manner that allows for efficient detection of patent infringement.Instead of the whole cloud computing system or its server-side elements, a service provider may consider whether any client-side elements of the system are eligible for patent protection. Activities at the client-side may be more localized and readily detectible. It may thus be easier for the patentee to assert its rights over its client-side elements.However, when obtaining patent protection for client-side elements of a cloud computing system, one should keep in mind whom the potential infringer would be. It may not be in a company's best interest to assert patent rights against the users of a cloud computing service, since that may alienate those users from ever becoming customers.Alternatively, if the proper elements can be proved, a service provider may be liable for inducing its users to infringe.
Copyright infringement issues with cloud computing
The de-centralized nature of cloud storage may complicate copyright issues.Copyright laws vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. What constitutes copyright infringement in one country may not in another. This complicates the question of whether copyright has been infringed when data is stored in multiple locations. Typically, the location of a work is easily identifiable. However, the work’s location may be more difficult to identify in a cloud computing environment. It can thus be unclear which jurisdiction’s copyright laws apply, and whether there has been copyright infringement under those laws.Another issue relating to copyright is whether cloud storage service providers can even be held liable for copyright infringement. Canadian jurisprudence has held that an Internet service provider acting as an intermediary for communication is shielded from liability by the Canadian Copyright Act2 so long as the service provider is not itself engaging in acts relating to the content of the communication. In other words, the Copyright Act shields an Internet service provide from liability so long as it merely provides a conduit for information communicated by others. However, it is unclear whether cloud storage providers necessarily meet this requirement (i.e. whether cloud storage providers are merely intermediaries or conduits). Therefore, Canadian copyright law is currently unclear on whether cloud storage providers may be shielded from liability for copyright infringement.An additional complication relates to licensing of rights. Jurisdictional limits of licensing need to be taken into account, such that licenses are secured for all jurisdictions where data or software may be used.
Confidential information and trade secrets
Another concern relating to cloud storage is the protection of private and confidential data, such as trade secrets. Before uploading confidential data to the cloud, a user should consider what type of duty of confidentiality is owed to the user by the cloud storage service provider. For example, does that duty of confidentiality extend to sub-contractors utilized by the service provider? Under what circumstances can the user’s data be accessed or disclosed by the service provider? A further complication exists when the user is a business and its data includes private data of its clients or end users. In such cases, the business will need to carefully consider privacy legislation that may apply, and whether the cloud service agreement is sufficient to satisfy obligations under such legislation.
Recommendations for cloud computing and IP
Cloud computing can offer compelling cost and operational and strategic benefits, but creates legal uncertainty and raises complex IP issues, some of which remain unresolved in Canadian law. Businesses making use of cloud technologies, whether as users or as part of their own offerings, should consider and plan for such issues. Likewise, all IP owners should recognize the ubiquity of cloud technologies, and should ensure that their IP assets and agreements are crafted to adequately address the uncertainty and jurisdictional scope associated with cloud computing.
References
1. NTP, Inc v Research in Motion, Ltd, 418 F3d 1282 (Fed Cir 2005).2. Copyright Act, RS, 1985, c C-42, s 31.1.
云计算：“在云中”知识产权问题的简要概述
December 23, 2020| Smart & Biggar -Patrick Roszell云计算已逐渐成为计算机和信息技术服务的主导模型，全球大多数企业都在使用计算资源并将数据“存储在云中”。然而，尽管云计算的易用性和便利性，将数据和服务移动到云中对于云计算提供商和用户都提出了一些法律问题。本文重点介绍了与云计算引发的与知识产权（IP）权利有关的一些问题。
什么是云计算？
通常，“云计算”是将计算服务和资源远程交付给客户端，数据是在通常称为“云”的基础结构上从客户端远程存储和/或处理的。客户端通常可以通过Internet远程访问此基础架构，重要的是，客户端（例如，个人计算机）不必执行现在在云中进行的任何数据存储或处理，从而大大减少了硬件，软件和安全性客户端设备的要求。云计算系统的实际实施可能会有很大差异。示例云计算服务模型包括：软件即服务（SaaS），平台即服务（PaaS）和基础架构即服务（IaaS）。通常，SaaS模型允许客户端通过Internet访问和使用软件应用程序，而不是在本地存储和运行应用程序。PaaS模型提供对可在其上运行或开发应用程序的计算平台（例如Microsoft Windows）的访问。IaaS模型可按需提供对计算机基础结构的访问（例如，数据存储，网络和计算资源）。
云计算的优缺点
云计算的优点之一是个人和企业可以避免购买，安装和维护复杂的硬件和软件的成本。相反，此基础架构由云提供商远程处理。然而，这意味着，目前尚不清楚其中的云服务提供商的硬件和软件的物理位置，或客户端的数据的物理存储位置。例如，可以在一个特定辖区中将服务出售给客户，但是可以在相同或其他辖区中的一个或多个位置存储和处理该客户的数据。客户端可能不了解数据存储或处理的位置。数据可以冗余地存储在多个位置和多个管辖区域中，并且可以在存储中分散存储。数据甚至可以在不同的时间存储在不同的国家。数据处理的各个方面也可能在不同的管辖区发生。云计算的无定形性质使确定法律将如何适用甚至是法律将适用成为一个挑战。由于IP权利是地域性的，并且单个云计算服务可以涉及多个司法管辖区，因此在许多情况下，尚不清楚在云计算环境中将适用哪些IP法律。
专利所有者的三个云计算问题
专利具有固有的司法管辖权：它们仅在授予专利的国家/地区授予权利。例如，加拿大专利授予专利权人在专利期限内进行，使用和出售发明的专有权。但是，它在任何其他国家/地区均不授予任何这些权利。这对跨越国际边界的云计算系统构成了挑战。云计算的多辖区性质和“云”的无定形性质给试图对潜在侵权者主张专利权的专利所有者或被许可人带来了许多可能的麻烦。
1）侵权的司法管辖权范围不确定
作为一般原则，侵犯专利要求满足要求保护的系统或过程的每个要素。但是，在云中实施的技术可能会分布在多个辖区。这给专利所有人带来了潜在的挑战：如果在其他国家/地区满足某些要求保护的要素，是否可以满足侵权测试的要求？加拿大判例中有一些原则可以为在加拿大境外满足部分索赔要求的情况下提供侵权认定依据。但是，有关该问题的加拿大法律尚未得到解决，无论如何都可能高度依赖事实。管辖权问题也为清除专利风险带来不确定性。正如云实施的技术可能涉及多个司法管辖区一样，也有可能在多个司法管辖区吸引责任。每个司法管辖区的法律都需要考虑在内。例如，如果某系统已在美国获得专利并使用，则即使部分侵权系统位于其他地方（例如在加拿大），也可能会侵犯美国专利。1个最终，专利所有人将被充分认识到，云计算将更广泛的司法管辖范围发挥了作用，并且应该确保在可能需要的地方构建包括权利的投资组合。同样，企业在评估风险时应具有广泛的视野，并应考虑所有司法管辖区的可能性。
2）由不同方操作的多个组件
云计算系统可以包括多个组件，每个组件由不同的一方操作。例如，存储数据的服务器可以由一个公司拥有和操作，而中继或处理从那些服务器检索的数据的系统组件可以由另一公司拥有和操作。这些组件可以外包给另一家公司，然后该公司可以使用这些组件为最终用户提供服务。因为在这种情况下，由不同方负责提供系统的不同方面，所以可能没有任何一方侵犯专利发明的所有要素。取而代之，本发明的要素可以被划分为两个或多个参与方。《加拿大 专利法》没有规定分案 侵权，加拿大法院尚未考虑该问题。在某种程度上，这可以通过精心设计专利权来解决-申请人应避免以允许要素容易分离的方式主张发明，并应在从多个角度主张发明以确保稳健的覆盖范围方面发挥创造力。
3）侵权查处困难
云计算在检测侵权方面也提出了挑战。从本质上讲，云系统通常会掩盖或抽象一些技术细节。例如，云计算服务的客户端可能不知道在何处或确切地如何存储或处理其数据。客户也可能无法在客户端对服务进行反向工程以检测侵权。此外，服务提供商的基础架构可能无法以允许有效检测专利侵权的方式公开访问。服务提供商可以考虑系统的任何客户端元素是否有资格获得专利保护，而不是整个云计算系统或其服务器端元素。客户端的活动可能更本地化并且更容易检测。因此，专利权人可能更容易主张其对客户端元素的权利。但是，在获得针对云计算系统客户端元素的专利保护时，应记住潜在的侵权者是谁。对云计算服务的用户主张专利权可能不符合公司的最大利益，因为这可能会使那些用户不再成为客户。或者，如果可以证明适当的要素，则服务提供商可能有责任诱使其用户侵权。
云计算的版权侵权问题
版权法因司法管辖区而异。在一个国家/地区构成版权侵权的内容可能在另一个国家/地区不是。这使将数据存储在多个位置时是否侵犯版权的问题变得复杂。通常，作品的位置很容易识别。但是，在云计算环境中，可能很难识别作品的位置。因此，目前尚不清楚哪个司法管辖区的版权法适用，以及这些法律是否存在版权侵权。与版权有关的另一个问题是，云存储服务提供商是否甚至可能对版权侵权承担责任。加拿大的判例认为，只要服务提供者本身不参与与通讯内容有关的行为，充当通信中介的互联网服务提供者就不受加拿大版权法2的责任。换句话说，《版权法》保护互联网服务提供者免于承担责任，只要它只是提供他人交流信息的渠道即可。但是，目前尚不清楚云存储提供商是否一定满足此要求（即云存储提供商仅仅是中介还是渠道）。因此，加拿大版权法目前尚不清楚云存储提供商是否可以免于版权侵权责任。另一个复杂问题涉及权利许可。需要考虑许可的司法限制，以便为可能使用数据或软件的所有辖区确保许可的安全。
机密信息和商业秘密
与云存储有关的另一个问题是对私有和机密数据（例如商业秘密）的保护。在将机密数据上传到云之前，用户应考虑云存储服务提供商应向用户承担何种类型的机密职责。例如，保密义务是否扩展到服务提供商使用的分包商？服务提供商在什么情况下可以访问或披露用户的数据？当用户是企业并且其数据包括其客户或最终用户的私人数据时，还会出现进一步的复杂情况。在这种情况下，企业将需要仔细考虑可能适用的隐私法规，以及云服务协议是否足以满足此类法规下的义务。
有关云计算和IP的建议
云计算可以提供引人注目的成本以及运营和战略利益，但会带来法律不确定性并引发复杂的IP问题，其中一些问题在加拿大法律中仍未解决。使用云技术的企业，无论是作为用户还是作为其自身产品的一部分，都应考虑并计划此类问题。同样，所有IP所有者应认识到云技术的普遍性，并应确保精心设计其IP资产和协议以充分解决与云计算相关的不确定性和管辖范围。
参考文献
1. NTP，Inc诉Research in Motion，Ltd，418 F3d 1282（联邦法院2005年）。2.《版权法》，RS，1985年，c C-42，第31.1节。
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