Patents › Prior Art › Inter Partes Reexamination

Patent Watch: Rexnord Indus., LLC v. Kappos

"[A]nticipation by inherent disclosure is appropriate only when the reference discloses prior art that must necessarily include the unstated limitation, [or the reference] cannot inherently anticipate the claims."...more

Patent Watch: C.W. Zumbiel Co. v. Kappos

[T]he preamble constitutes a limitation when the claim(s) depend on it for antecedent basis, or when it "is essential to understand limitations or terms in the claim body." On December 27, 2012, in C.W. Zumbiel Co. v....more

Belkin International, Inc. v. Kappos - A Cautionary Tale in the Intricate Arena of Inter Partes Reexamination

On Tuesday of last week, the Federal Circuit held that a party bringing a request for inter-partes reexamination may not appeal a decision by the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that certain prior art does...more

America Invents Act of 2011: Major Changes in the Law

Patent litigation can be analogized to a game of chess. In chess each player has six distinct pieces – the king, queen, rook, bishop, knight, and pawn – each with its own strengths and weaknesses. In patent litigation,...more