No damages for convoyed sales when no functional relationship between patented and unpatented goods
In a decision today, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's decision setting aside the portion of a jury verdict awarding convoyed sales to a patentee, and sustaining the portion of the verdict finding the alleged infringer had not shown invalidity via public use. There was no evidence of a functional relationship between the patented […]
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Claims to “fragile gel” indefinite even though term defined in specification
In a second decision Friday, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's finding of 35 U.S.C. § 112, second paragraph indefiniteness. The term was defined in the specification, however the district court held that definition was too subjective and unclear, largely because it relied on relative terms. The proper scope was also not discernable from […]
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Disclosure of prior art abstract only when more relevant detail known results in inequitable conduct
In a decision Friday, the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's finding of inequitable conduct based on nondisclosure of details of a poster presentation presented at a scientific conference. While the patentee disclosed the abstract during prosecution of the patents-in-suit, notes taken by one of the patentee's employees with much more detail of what was […]
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Oppositions to motions for summary judgment filed in cases challenging claim and continuation rules
Yesterday, the USPTO, Glaxo, and Dr. Tafas filed their oppositions to the motions for summary judgment in the consolidated cases challenging the USPTO's claim and continuation rules. At first glance, they make many of the same arguments raised in the parties' motions for summary judgment. Interestingly, however, the USPTO has also moved to strike portions […]
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USPTO to start enforcing requirement that inventor oaths include reference to duty of disclosure
In a notice dated yesterday, the USPTO announced that it will begin enforcing compliance with 37 C.F.R. § 1.63(b)(3), which requires that inventor oaths include an acknowledgement of the duty to disclose information material to patentability under 37 C.F.R. § 1.56. Oaths filed on or after June 1, 2008 will have to have the language […]
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Roundup of media coverage of oral arguments in Quanta v. LG
After the Supreme Court heard oral argument last week in Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc. (No. 06-937), the media and blogosphere have begun to weigh in on the arguments. You can find our take on the arguments in this post, or click below for a sampling of the coverage from other sources. A […]
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Sixth Circuit: Some claims relating to license agreement with arbitration clause not arbitrable
In a recent decision, the Sixth Circuit considered the scope a mandatory arbitration clause in a software license agreement, and specifically whether the clause mandated arbitration of certain copyright infringement and other claims arguably related to the agreement. The district court entered an order compelling arbitration.The Sixth Circuit partially reversed. According to the court, given […]
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When market entry fee part of damages for patent infringement, permanent injunction inappropriate
In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit affirmed a finding of infringement of a patent relating to the detection and classification of Hepatitis C Virus, but remanded the case for a determination of anticipation. In arguably the most interesting aspect of the decision, the court vacated the permanent injunction entered against the defendant. The plaintiff […]
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Federal Circuit again tackles the meaning of “a”
In a decision this week, the Federal Circuit affirmed-in-part and reversed-in-part a district court's grant of summary judgment of non-infringement with respect to two patents relating to cleaning printing press cylinders. Both findings were based on issues of claim construction, with one centering around an issue that has reached the Federal Circuit multiple times: the […]
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Oral argument in Quanta v. LG – some highlights
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc. (No. 06-937), a case regarding the scope of the concept of patent exhaustion, also known as the first sale doctrine. While the entirety of the arguments is worth a read (the transcript is available here), click below for our […]
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