Dependent claim can’t be obvious when indepdendent claim is not; verdict vacated as inconsistent
In a recent decision, the Federal Circuit affirmed-in-part a district court's decision regarding obviousness, holding the defendant was not entitled to summary judgment that the asserted claims were invalid for obviousness. The court vacated the district court's entry of judgment of an inconsistent jury verdict of obviousness: the jury held a dependent claim obvious but […]
Continue Reading →
Claim and continuation rules dead: thousands of practitioners breathe easier
In a Federal Register notice today, the USPTO has officially withdrawn the claim and continuation rule changes from the Code of Federal Regulations. This is consistent with a press release from Thursday announcing the rules were no longer going to be pursued. The summary of the notice: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (Office) […]
Continue Reading →
Manuscript filed with copyright office not necessarily publicly available as of filing date
In a decision Tuesday, the Federal Circuit held the USPTO had not provided sufficient evidence that an inventor's manuscript was publicly accessible, and therefore available as prior art under § 102(b), before the critical date of the application. As a result, the court reversed the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. At issue was the […]
Continue Reading →
Programming note
As many have surely noticed, while we have covered the major issues that have arisen, the pace of posts here at Filewrapper has slowed down of late. This is a reflection of the recent demands of the actual practice of law. The good news is the blogging pace should pick up soon, and look for […]
Continue Reading →
Seventh Circuit: Notice requirement to Copyright Office when registration refused not jurisdictional
In a recent decision, the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment that a plaintiff could not prevail in her copyright claim. The court first addressed whether the plaintiff complied with the necessary procedural requirements to have her claim heard. The plaintiff had filed for a copyright registration and had been rejected […]
Continue Reading →
Today’s eCommerce lesson: There’s no upside to using others’ trademarks in your website meta tags
Those who have a passing familiarity with website design are probably familiar with the concept of meta tags. Meta tags are pieces of data included in the HTML code of a webpage that provide information regarding the content of the page. You can view the code of a webpage you are visiting by clicking the […]
Continue Reading →
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 →