On June 28, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) requested the public’s views on the current state of the common law experimental use exception to patent infringement and whether legislative action...more
The US Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) issued a request for comments concerning the public’s views on the common law experimental use exception and whether Congress should enact a statutory experimental use exception. 89 Fed....more
The United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") is seeking public input about the need for a statutory experimental use exception in light of the common law jurisprudence. ...more
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released a Notice on the Federal Register (“the Notice”) today requesting public commentary and input on the current state of the experimental use exception. The USPTO is...more
On June 28, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a Notice requesting public comments on the current state of the common law experimental use exception to patent infringement and whether Congress...more
A recent Federal Circuit opinion casts fresh light on two aspects of patent strategy: the experimental use exception to the on-sale bar to patent validity; and the role of a non-infringement legal opinion in defeating an...more
As post grant review allows for on sale bar assertions, and thus experimental use defenses, we wanted to highlight a recent case addressing these issues. Sunoco sued Venture and U.S. Oil Co. for infringement of U.S. Patent...more
The PTAB Strategies and Insights newsletter provides timely updates and insights into how best to handle proceedings at the USPTO. It is designed to increase return on investment for all stakeholders looking at the entire...more
The Federal Circuit has reversed a district court’s determination that the experimental-use doctrine insulated a subset of asserted patent claims from the on-sale bar. SUNOCO PARTNERS MARKETING v. U.S. VENTURE, INC....more
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded a district court decision regarding experimental use under 35 U.S.C. § 102(b) and the application of enhanced damages based on an allegedly flawed...more
With another busy week of arguments last week, the Federal Circuit took a break from issuing precedential decisions. But it still pushed out several non-precedential decisions along with some quick affirmances without...more
Precedential Federal Circuit Opinions - SUNOCO PARTNERS MARKETING v. U.S. VENTURE, INC. [OPINION] (2020-1640, 4/29/22) (Prost, Reyna, Stoll) - Prost, J. Vacating in part a judgment of infringement because the...more
On April 29, 2022, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued an opinion for Sunoco Partners Marketing & Terminals L.P. v. U.S. Venture, Inc., U.S. Oil Co., Inc. (2022 WL 1275697).This case touched on a number of...more
Sunoco Partners Marketing & Terminals L.P. v. U.S. Venture, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2020-1640, -1641 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 29, 2022) - Our case of the week has a little bit for everyone, including lost profits, reasonable royalties,...more
SUNOCO PARTNERS MARKETING v. U.S. VENTURE, INC. Before Prost, Reyna, and Stoll. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Summary: References to testing in an offer for sale...more
The basics - The U.S. Patent Act precludes the granting of a patent if the claimed invention was in public use, on sale or otherwise available to the public more than one year prior to the effective filing date of the...more
Back in March, I reported on the breadth of comments the USPTO received in response to its new Guidance on patent subject matter eligibility. Now, Congress has taken up the issue with a proposed draft of a new bipartisan,...more
Canada recently introduced new legislation (The Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2) which brought about several changes to the Patent Act affecting the scope of protection available under Canadian patents. Included in the...more
On March 27, 2019, Medtronic, Inc. petitioned for panel rehearing and rehearing en banc of the January 24, 2019, Federal Circuit split decision in Barry v. Medtronic, Inc., where the panel majority affirmed the District...more
Addressing pre-America Invents Act (AIA) 35 USC § 102(b), the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that the public-use and on-sale bars did not apply to the claimed surgical method because pre-critical-date...more
In an important decision impacting life sciences patentees, a divided panel of the Federal Circuit in Barry v. Medtronic, Inc., Appeal No. 2017-2463 (Fed. Cir. January 24, 2019), affirmed a jury’s finding that a doctor was...more
One of the most powerful, visceral arguments made by the American Civil Liberties Union in Assoc. Molecular Pathol. v. Myriad Genetics, 689 F. 3d 1303 (2013), was that permitting Myriad and the University of Utah to have...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed an award of enhanced damages even while affirming a jury finding of willfulness (based on substantial evidence), explaining that the award was not adequately explained...more
Some inventions require testing before they are ready for patenting, and sometimes that testing requires use by the public. A recent decision from the Federal Circuit provides additional guidance on what activities qualify...more
PATENT CASE OF THE WEEK - Polara Engineering Inc. v. Campbell Company, Appeal Nos. 2017-1974, -2033 (Fed. Cir. July 10, 2018) In this wide-ranging opinion, the Court provided a rare and lengthy opinion on the public use...more