Secret Third-Party Processes May Not Trigger Pre-AIA § 102 Public Knowledge or Use Bars -
In Basf Corporation v. SNF Holding Company, Appeal No. 19-1243, the Federal Circuit ruled that a third party’s sale of products...more
Attorneys and Clients Behaving Badly – Deliberately Withheld Offer for Sale Is Inequitable Conduct -
In Gs Cleantech Corp. v. Adkins Energy LLC, Appeal No. 16-2231,withholding and obscuring evidence of a pre-critical date...more
PTAB May Not Cancel Claims on the Grounds of Indefiniteness in an IPR Proceeding -
In Samsung Electronics America v. Prisua Engineering Corp., Appeal No. 19-1169, the Federal Circuit held that the Patent Trial and Appeal...more
3/9/2020
/ Claim Construction ,
Indefiniteness ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Principal Place of Business ,
Prior Art ,
Section 112 ,
Venue ,
Writ of Mandamus
Specification’s Narrow Description of the Invention Results in Disavowal of Claim Scope -
In Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd. v. ITC., Appeal No. 18-2191, the consistent description in the specification of a particular...more
1/27/2020
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Exceptional Case ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
New Evidence ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Prior Art
The Appointments Clause: Ensuring That PTAB Decisions Are Subject to Constitutional Checks and Balances
In Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., Appeal No. 18-2251, the Federal Circuit ruled that, under the then-existing...more
12/30/2019
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Administrative Appeals ,
Administrative Patent Judges ,
Anticipatory Reference ,
Appeals ,
Appointments Clause ,
Claim Limitations ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Declaration ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Examinations ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Preamble ,
Presidential Appointments ,
Prior Art ,
Process Improvement ,
Publicly Accessible Data ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Severability Doctrine ,
Supplemental Evidence ,
Written Notice
The PTAB Cannot Approve or Deny Certificates of Correction -
In Honeywell International, Inc. v. Arkema Inc., Arkema France, Appeal Nos. 2018-1151, -1153, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) does not have the...more
11/25/2019
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Abuse of Discretion ,
Appeals ,
Certificate of Correction ,
Claim Construction ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Cross Motions ,
Enablement Inquiries ,
Indefiniteness ,
Induced Infringement ,
JMOL ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Leave to Amend ,
Mayo v. Prometheus ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Nonobvious ,
Partial Reversal ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Owner Preliminary Response ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Priority Patent Claims ,
Product of Nature Doctrine ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Scope of the Claim ,
Section 101 ,
Section 112 ,
Vacated ,
Written Descriptions
State Sovereignty Principles Do Not Allow a State to Bring a Patent Infringement Suit in an Improper Venue -
In Board of Regents v. Boston Scientific Corp., Appeal No. 2018-1700, the Federal Circuit ruled that the patent...more
10/30/2019
/ Appeals ,
Breach of Contract ,
Claim Construction ,
Combined References ,
Covered Business Method Patents ,
Covered Business Method Proceedings ,
Dismissals ,
Diversity Jurisdiction ,
Eleventh Amendment ,
Extrinsic Evidence ,
Federal Question Jurisdiction ,
Gunn Test ,
Jurisdiction ,
Nexus ,
Nonobvious ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Prior Art ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Section 101 ,
Section 103 ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
State Law Claims ,
State Sovereignty ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Summary Judgment ,
Transfer of Venue ,
Universities ,
Vacated ,
Venue
Mere Potential for Future Appeal Does Not Prevent Triggering Estoppel of Inter Partes Reexamination When Party Fails to Seek Relief in the First Instance -
In Virnetx Inc. v. Apple Inc., Appeal Nos. 2017-1591, -1592,...more
10/3/2019
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Claim Construction ,
Equivalency Determinations ,
Estoppel ,
Foreign Entities ,
Foreign Sovereigns ,
Indefiniteness ,
Inter Partes Reexamination ,
International Litigation ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
IP License ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Nonobvious ,
Novelty ,
Parallel Proceedings ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Section 101 ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Universities ,
Vacated ,
Written Descriptions
Broad Claim Language and Unpredictability in the Art Lead to Non-Enablement -
In Enzo Life Sciences, Inc. v. Roche Molecular Systems, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2017-2498, -2499, -2545, -2546, broad patent claims were invalid as...more
8/26/2019
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Aesthetic Functionality ,
Appeals ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Denial of Rehearing ,
Design Patent ,
Diagnostic Method ,
En Banc Review ,
Mayo v. Prometheus ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Patent Exhaustion ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Section 101 ,
Standard of Review ,
Summary Judgment ,
USPTO ,
Written Descriptions
One-year Clock for Filing IPR Petition Applies to Litigants and Parties that Become Privies of the Litigant Prior to Institution.
In Power Integrations, Inc v. Semiconductor Components, Appeal No. 2018-1607, the Federal...more
7/16/2019
/ § 315(b) ,
Appeals ,
Claim Construction ,
Doctrine of Equivalents ,
First Amendment ,
Iancu v. Brunetti ,
In Rem Jurisdiction ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Mergers ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent Validity ,
Patents ,
Prior Art ,
Privity of Contract ,
Prosecution History Estoppel ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Samsung ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
State Universities ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
Tribal Governments ,
USPTO ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
Reasonably Continuous Diligence Is Not Negated If an Inventor Works On Improvements or Evaluates Alternatives to the Claimed Invention -
In ATI Technologies ULC v. IANCU, Appeal Nos. 2016-2222, -2406, -2608, the Federal...more
6/19/2019
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Appeals ,
Clinical Trials ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Covered Business Method Proceedings ,
Eli Lilly ,
Graphical User Interface ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Nonobvious ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent Validity ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Prior Art ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reasonably Continuous Exercise of Diligence Standard ,
Reversal ,
Seventh Amendment ,
Trading Platforms
Just Because Something May Result From a Prior Art Teaching Does Not Make it Inherent in that Teaching -
In Personal Web Technologies, LLC v. Apple, Inc., Appeal No. 2018-1599, the Federal Circuit clarified that the mere...more
5/10/2019
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Appeals ,
Apple ,
Claim Construction ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Diagnostic Method ,
Dismissal With Prejudice ,
Inherency ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Jury Trial ,
Mayo v. Prometheus ,
Motion for JMOL ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Preamble ,
Prior Art ,
Product of Nature Doctrine ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Section 101 ,
Substantial Evidence Standard ,
Summary Judgment ,
Treatment Method Patents ,
Willful Infringement
Federal Circuit Determines Time-Barred Petitioner Joined to an IPR Has Appellate Standing -
In Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Research Corporation Tech., Appeal Nos. 2017-2088, -2089, -2091, the Federal Circuit held that a...more
4/11/2019
/ § 315(b) ,
Affirmative Defenses ,
Appeals ,
Counterclaims ,
Defense Strategies ,
Denial of Rehearing ,
Diagnostic Method ,
Dismissals ,
En Banc Review ,
Google ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Joinder ,
Mandamus Petitions ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Principal Place of Business ,
Product of Nature Doctrine ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rebuttal ,
Remand ,
Right To Appeal ,
Section 101 ,
Software Patents ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
Standing ,
States Rights ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
Universities ,
Venue ,
Waivers
PTAB May Invalidate Claims on Reconsideration Based on Grounds Raised in the Institution Decision that Were Not Originally Instituted -
In AC Technologies S.A., V. Amazon.Com, Inc., Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., Appeal No....more
3/14/2019
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Amazon ,
Anticipation ,
Appeals ,
Article III ,
Due Process ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Generic Drugs ,
Hatch-Waxman ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Motivation to Combine ,
Mylan Pharmaceuticals ,
Obviousness ,
Orange Book ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Petition For Rehearing ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Reaffirmation ,
Right To Appeal ,
Section 103 ,
Standing
Assignor Estoppel Does Not Apply in the IPR Context -
In Arista Networks, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2017-1525, 2017-1577, the Federal Circuit held that the plain language of 35 U.S.C. § 311(a) unambiguously...more
1/16/2019
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Appeals ,
Assignor Estoppel ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Claim Construction ,
Cross-Appeals ,
Damages ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
Employee Inventors ,
Forum State ,
Induced Infringement ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
IP License ,
Minimum Contacts ,
Modification ,
Noninfringement ,
Notice Requirements ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Royalties ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent Validity ,
Patents ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Tortious Interference
Federal Circuit Finds Claims Issued from Reexamination Co-Pending with Appeal Ineligible Where the Changes Did Not Affect Section 101 Eligibility -
In SAP AMERICA, Inc. v. InvestPic, LLC, Appeal No. 2017-2081, the...more
10/30/2018
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Abuse of Discretion ,
Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Breach of Duty ,
Causation ,
Claim Limitations ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Computer-Related Inventions ,
Duty to Disclose ,
Expert Testimony ,
Implied Waivers ,
Instrinsic Evidence ,
Inter Partes Reexamination ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Judgment on the Pleadings ,
Means-Plus-Function ,
Motion for Summary Judgment ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Section 101 ,
Section 112 ,
Section 337 ,
Vacated ,
Willful Misconduct
The Board’s Final Written Decision Must Address All Grounds for Unpatentability Raised in a Petition for Inter Partes Review -
In Adidas AG v. Nike, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2018-1180, 2018-1181, the Federal Circuit held that...more
8/30/2018
/ Adidas ,
Anticipation ,
Appeals ,
Broadest Reasonable Interpretation Standard ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Claim Construction ,
Combined References ,
Enhanced Damages ,
Fair Market Value ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Genuine Issue of Material Fact ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Jury Trial ,
Motivation to Combine ,
Nike ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent Validity ,
Patents ,
Prior Art ,
Public Use ,
Reaffirmation ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Remand ,
SAS Institute Inc. v Iancu ,
Substantial Evidence Standard ,
Vacated ,
Willful Infringement
A Complaint Identifying Infringing Products and the Patents Allegedly Infringed, Accompanied by Statements that the Products Meet All Elements of at Least One Claim of the Asserted Patents, May be Sufficient to Meet the...more
7/12/2018
/ Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) ,
Appeals ,
Article III ,
Contract Termination ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Federal Rule 12(b)(6) ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Foreign Corporations ,
FRCP 12(b)(2) ,
FRCP 12(b)(3) ,
Improper Venue ,
International Litigation ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Principal Place of Business ,
Specific Jurisdiction ,
Standing ,
Twombly/Iqbal Pleading Standard ,
Venue ,
Writ of Mandamus
Broadest Reasonable Interpretation Encompasses All Embodiments in the Absence of Support Specifically Excluding an Embodiment -
In Steuben Foods, Inc. v. Nestle USA, Inc., Appeal No. 2017-1290, the Federal Circuit...more
5/15/2018
/ Appeals ,
Apple ,
Broadest Reasonable Interpretation Standard ,
Claim Construction ,
Claim Terms ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Evidence ,
Final Written Decisions ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Nestle ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Subsequent Litigation ,
Vacated
Inter Partes Reexamination Estoppel Attaches On Claim-by-Claim Basis for New Requests and Pending Proceedings -
In In re Affinity Labs Of Texas, LLC, Appeal Nos. 2016-1092, 2016-1172, the Federal Circuit held that the...more
7/12/2017
/ Appeals ,
Breach of Contract ,
Claim Construction ,
Doctrine of Prosecution Disclaimer ,
Estoppel ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
First Sale Doctrine ,
Forum Shopping ,
Impression Products v Lexmark International ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
International Sales ,
Noninfringement ,
Patent Exhaustion ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Owner Preliminary Response ,
Patent Ownership ,
Patents ,
Principal Place of Business ,
SCOTUS ,
State of Incorporation ,
TC Heartland LLC v Kraft Foods ,
Venue
Patentee’s Unnecessarily Broad Prosecution Disclaimer Affirmed by Federal Circuit -
In Technology Properties Limited LLC v. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., Appeal Nos. 2016-1306, -1307, -1309, -1310, -1311, the Federal...more
5/16/2017
/ Abuse of Discretion ,
Appeals ,
AT&T ,
Claim Construction ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Disclaimers ,
Equitable Estoppel ,
Evidence ,
Laches ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Prosecution ,
Patent Royalties ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Remand ,
SCA Hygiene Products Aktiebolag v First Quality Baby Products ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 101 ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sprint ,
Statute of Limitations
Fraud-Detection Patent Claimed Patent-Ineligible Subject Matter -
In FairWarning IP, LLC v. Iatric Systems, Inc., Appeal No. 2015-1985, the Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s holding that FairWarning’s patent...more
12/2/2016
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Appeals ,
Apple v Samsung ,
Claim Construction ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
En Banc Review ,
Halo v Pulse ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Prosecution ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Petition For Rehearing ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Substantial Evidence Standard ,
Vacated ,
Willful Infringement
Federal Circuit Holds That Using A Contract Manufacturer Does Not Trigger An On-Sale Bar -
In The Medicines Co. v. Hospira, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2014-1469, -1504, the Federal Circuit, en banc, held that the patentee’s deal...more
9/6/2016
/ Appeals ,
Claim Construction ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Indefiniteness ,
Long Arm Statute ,
Means-Plus-Function ,
Minimum Contacts ,
Noninfringement ,
On-Sale Bar ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Reversal ,
Sales & Distribution Agreements ,
Summary Judgment
On April 25, 2016, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the judgment of invalidity on two patents in favor of Knobbe Martens client Toshiba Corporation...more
The Federal Circuit Will Review Appeals from Inter Partes Review Proceedings Under the “Substantial Evidence” Standard -
In Merck & Cie v. Gnosis S.p.A., Appeal No. 2014-1779, the Federal Circuit affirmed a PTAB IPR...more
2/1/2016
/ Apple ,
Article III ,
Burden of Proof ,
Cisco ,
Covered Business Method Proceedings ,
Hewlett-Packard ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Merck ,
Motion to Amend ,
Myriad-Mayo ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Royalties ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Sequenom ,
Seventh Amendment ,
Standard Essential Patents ,
Substantial Evidence Standard ,
USPTO