USPTO issues new section 101 guidelines for use until Supreme Court decides Bilski v. Doll This week the USPTO has issued new guidelines to patent examiners on how to handle § 101 patentable subject matter issues in light of the Federal Circuit's ruling in In re Bilski. The guidelines are distilled into two flow charts and an instructional memo to examiners on how to conduct the analysis. Click below to […] Continue Reading →
Federal Circuit to consider whether a separate written description requirement exists in section 112 In an en banc order Friday, the Federal Circuit announced it will rehear Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Eli Lilly & Co. en banc to consider whether there is a written description requirement in § 112 separate and apart from the enablement requirement. Specifically, the questions presented are: Whether 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 1, contains […] Continue Reading →
USPTO announces e-Office Action program for patent applications In a press release, the USPTO announced the availability of the e-Office Action program for patent applications. Under the program, applicants or attorneys may sign up to receive an email notice when an office action is mailed in an application, and can then download the office action from Private PAIR. This avoids the time delay […] Continue Reading →
Digital Britain: The UK Government’s vision for a 21st century digital economy Last month, the UK Department for Culture, Media, and Sport released Digital Britain, a report regarding the future of communications infrastructure in the UK, how to deal with challenges of a digital economy (such as copyright infringement), and containing policy recommendations regarding how to move forward. Click below for our thoughts on the report and […] Continue Reading →
Federal Circuit to hear claim and continuation rule case en banc In an order this afternoon, the Federal Circuit agreed to hear en banc Tafas v. Doll, the case challenging the USPTO's claim and continuation rules. Back in March, a panel of the court held, in a 2-1 decision, the limits on continuation applications were invalid, but the remainder of the rules were not invalid, at […] Continue Reading →
Three disputed claim terms, three revised constructions, one remand In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded a district court's judgment of noninfringement based on the parties' stipulation after claim construction. The district court construed three claim terms in a way that the parties agreed rendered all accused products noninfringing, and the plaintiff appealed.On appeal, the Federal Circuit reversed the district court's […] Continue Reading →
Obama to nominate David Kappos for USPTO director According to the website of Senator Patrick Leahy, President Obama will nominate David J. Kappos to be the next Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the U.S. Patent And Trademark Office. The nomination does not yet appear on the White House's nominations and appointments page (Update: here is the While House press […] Continue Reading →
When analyzing written description in interference, claims construed according to patent copied from In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit reversed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in a ยง 146action brought after an interference proceeding at the USPTO. The district court agreed with the Board’s decision to award priority to the senior party in the interference, granting the senior party’s motion for summary judgment that its […] Continue Reading →
Close but no cigar: ITC gets 4 of 5 claim constructions correct, but must reconsider 2 issues In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit addressed a variety of claim construction, infringement, and validity issues in an appeal from the International Trade Commission. After construing five disputed claim terms, the ITC held one of four representative products infringed, the remaining three did not infringe, and one claim invalid as anticipated. Both parties appealed.The […] Continue Reading →
In license agreement, right to “have made” implicitly granted with right to make In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's dismissal of a patent licensor's claims for breach of a license agreement and patent infringement. The non-exclusive licensee arranged to have third parties manufacture the licensed product, but the product was sold by the licensee. The patent owner argued this was a breach of […] Continue Reading →