[윤영진의 글로벌기업 IP 살펴보기] #2. 마이클 조던도 투자한 NFT 스타트업 ‘대퍼랩스’

a blockchain(블록체인); and

a plurality of nodes(복수의 노드들) comprising a plurality of each of three specialized node types, the specialized node types comprising access nodes(접근 노드들), security nodes(보안 노드들), and execution nodes(실행 노드들);

the access nodes(접근 노드들) configured to perform at least:

a) receiving one or more transactions from at least one client, the one or more transactions each comprising transaction text and credentials;

b) cryptographically signing a hash for each of the transaction text of the one or more transactions based on a determination that the one or more transactions are well-formed;

c) providing the one or more signed hashes to the security node for validation; and

d) providing a state response to the at least one client, the state response determined based on an output for a finalized block;

the security nodes(보안 노드들) configured to perform at least:

a) generating a candidate block comprising the one or more signed hashes;

b) finalizing the candidate block by performing a Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) consensus algorithm to validate that a threshold number of access nodes determined that the one or more transactions were well-formed based on the one or more signed hashes; and

c) providing the finalized block to the execution nodes; and

the execution nodes(실행 노드들) configured to perform at least:

a) receiving, from the access nodes, the transaction text for each of the one or more transactions based on a query provided to the access nodes, the query determined according to the finalized block;

b) presenting a hashed commitment of the output for the finalized block to the other execution nodes, the output for the finalized block determined based on the transaction text for each of the one or more transactions; and

c) revealing the output to the access nodes when each of the other execution nodes has presented the output for the finalized block.

‘222 출원의 청구항 1

a) access node(접근 노드) configured to receive, from a client, one or more transactions, determine that the one or more transactions are well-formed, and provide responses to queries related to a canonical state for the blockchain;

b) security nodes(보안 노드들) configured to provide a guarantee for the block through a Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) consensus algorithm employed to finalize the one or more transactions; and

c) execution nodes(실행 노드들) configured to determine a result for each of the one or more transactions, once finalized, and store the canonical state of the blockchain.

‘222 출원의 청구항 19

a) receiving, through a plurality of access nodes(복수의 접근 노드들), one or more transactions from a client;

b) determine, through the access nodes(접근 노드들), that the one or more transactions are well-formed;

c) providing, through a plurality of security nodes(복수의 보안 노드들), a guarantee for the block through a Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) consensus algorithm employed to finalize the block;

d) determining, through a plurality execution nodes(복수의 실행 노드들), a result for each of the one or more transactions, once the block is finalized;

e) storing, through the execution nodes(실행 노드들), a canonical state of the blockchain; and

f) providing, through the access nodes(접근 노드들), responses to queries related the canonical state for the blockchain.

‘222 출원의 청구항 20

분산화, 탈중앙화 등의 특성을 가진 블록체인 시스템에서는 어떤 기능의 수행을 위해 복수의 주체가 참여하는 경우가 많습니다. 하지만, 복수의 주체에 의해 수행되는 행위 또는 복수의 주체에 의해 통제 또는 운영되는 시스템 구성을 포함하여 권리화하는 경우에는 이에 기초한 특허권 행사가 쉽지 않은 경우가 발생할 수 있어 유의할 필요가 있겠습니다.

국가마다 복수의 주체에 의한 특허권 침해를 인정하는 일부 사례(예를 들어, 미국의 경우 Akamai Tech. Inc. v. Limelight Networks, Inc., 797 F.3d 1020 (Fed. Cir. 2015)(en banc), 국내의 경우 서울고등법원  2017. 1. 24.자 2016라20312 결정 등)가 존재하기는 하지만, 우리나라를 포함한 많은 주요 국가에서는 원칙적으로 특허청구범위에 있는 구성요소를 단일 주체가 모두 실시하는 경우에 특허권을 침해한 것으로 인정하고 있기 때문입니다.

물론, 블록체인 기술의 특성상 복수의 주체가 관여하여야만 하는 발명이 존재할 수도 있으나, 향후 권리 행사적인 측면에서는 단일 주체를 중심으로 특정되는 기술적 특징이 무엇이 있을지를 살펴보고 이를 중심으로 권리화하는 것이 유리하겠습니다.