Second prong of declaratory judgment jurisdiction test survived MedImmune In a decision yesterday, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment of noninfringement and its related finding that the court had declaratory judgment jurisdiction. The court, for the first time since the Supreme Court's MedImmune decision, addressed the second prong of its pre-MedImmune declaratory judgment test. The court held this portion […] Continue Reading →
Fifth Circuit passes on eBay’s applicability in trademark cases In a decision last week, the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court's conclusion it had subject matter jurisdiction over a trademark case, as well as its grant of a preliminary injunction. While the activities giving rise to the claim of trademark infringement took place in Mexico, they had a "substantial effect" on United States commerce, […] Continue Reading →
New appeallate counsel insufficient reason to consider arguments not raised before district court In a decision today, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's decision finding two claims of a patent anticipated. The district court, adopting a magistrate judge's Report and Recommendation, held that the claims were invalid and granted summary judgment. After retaining new counsel for the appeal, the patentee argued the prior art did not anticipate […] Continue Reading →
Highlights from Drake Law School Summer Institute in Intellectual Property, Biotech, and Ag Sciences The Drake University Law School Summer Institute in Intellectual Property, Biotechnology, and Agricultural Sciences was held in Johnston, Iowa on May 19-20. The event, sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, addressed diverse topics including the impact of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions on biotechnology patents, the patent landscape of the nascent biofuel industry, ethical considerations in […] Continue Reading →
Eleventh Circuit combs over copyright law, idea-expression dichotomy in affirming noninfringement In a decision this week, the Eleventh Circuit upheld the district court's decision granting summary judgment of no copyright infringement to individuals and entities associated with two Trump buildings and denying the plaintiff leave to file a third amended complaint. In this regard, the court affirmed a finding that no reasonable, properly instructed jury could […] Continue Reading →
Priority claim contained in data sheet and appended via certificate of correction valid In a decision yesterday, the Federal Circuit vacated a district court's denial of a preliminary injunction. The district court denied the injunction on the basis of a substantial question of validity of the patent. The accused infringer alleged the patent was invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) based on a prior public use by the […] Continue Reading →
Intrinsic evidence supported pre-Phillips claim construction; finding of noninfringement affirmed In a decision yesterday, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's finding of noninfringement. The only disputed issue was one of claim construction. Although the district court issued its claim construction ruling before the Federal Circuit's Phillips decision and relied exclusively on a definition from a technical dictionary for its construction of the relevant term, […] Continue Reading →
Finding of inequitable conduct affirmed, Judge Rader expresses concern over resurgence of defense In a decision today, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's finding of inequitable conduct resulting from Rule 132 declarations that were used to overcome obviousness and anticipation rejections. The declarations used a difference in half-lives to distinguish the claimed composition over the prior art, however, it failed to indicate that the comparative half-lives were […] Continue Reading →
No claim preclusion unless second accused product essentially the same as product in first suit In a Tuesday decision, the Federal Circuit reversed a district court finding that a patent infringement suit was barred by claim preclusion. At issue was whether a claim for patent infringement was barred under the doctrine of claim preclusion when that claim could have been brought in a prior case. The patentee sued for infringement […] Continue Reading →
Claim construction and noninfringement affirmed on one patent, vacated on another In a decision last week, the Federal Circuit vacated a district court's grant of summary judgment of noninfringement of one patent and affirmed summary judgment of noninfringement of another. The determinations turned on the construction of one claim element in each patent.In the first patent, the court held that there was sufficient disclosure in the […] Continue Reading →