Litigation Update | January 2026

Knobbe Martens

Available Now: Federal Circuit Year in Review Report

Knobbe Martens’ 2025 Federal Circuit Year in Review report, covering over 50 of the most noteworthy patent-related Federal Circuit decisions issued last year, is now available! The report provides in-depth analysis from Knobbe Martens lawyers on a wide range of impactful rulings, organized by more than a dozen categories including claim construction, infringement, patentable subject matter, and PTAB developments. Learn more and download the report here.


No Interlocutory Appeals From State’s Bond Order

Jeremiah S. Helm, Ph.D. & Dylan K. Kramer

The Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s finding that two patents were invalid for indefiniteness because the patents failed to provide objective boundaries for terms like “optimal” and “best.”

Read More


When ‘Optimal’ Isn’t Objective: The Pitfalls of Indefinite Claims

Jacob R. Rosenbaum & Sarah Haj-Maharsi

The Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s finding that two patents were invalid for indefiniteness because the patents failed to provide objective boundaries for terms like “optimal” and “best.”

Read More


Doubling Down on Frivolous Claims Results in More Fees

Jacob R. Rosenbaum & Jaeyoung Choi

Additional attorneys’ fees may be awarded when a party that brought a frivolous claim doubles down by filing a meritless motion challenging the original fee award.

Read More


More Patent Cases, Backlogs, and Trump to Keep ITC Busy in 2026

Sheila Swaroop & Jonathan Bachand

The International Trade Commission will have an active 2026 managing its docket of patent cases due to expanded access for patent owners and operational delays.

Read More


Did Pleasr Buy a Secret: An Analysis of PleasrDAO and Martin Shkreli’s Trade Secrets Dispute

Priyanka Menon & Philip M. Nelson

PleasrDAO (“Pleasr”) is a decentralized autonomous organization[i] that acquires culturally significant digital art and artifacts.  One such work is Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, a one-of-a-kind musical work by Wu-Tang Clan (the “Album”).

Read More


Knobbe Martens Partners Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray Analyze Federal Circuit’s “Blaze Marks” Guidance in Law360

Jeremiah S. Helm, Ph.D. & Sean Murray

In their latest Law360 column on the Federal Circuit’s recent notable rulings, Knobbe Martens partners Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray explore the court’s decision in Duke University v. Sandoz, a case focused on the written description requirement.

Read More

[View source.]

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Attorney Advertising.

© Knobbe Martens

Written by:

Knobbe Martens
Contact
more
less

What do you want from legal thought leadership?

Please take our short survey – your perspective helps to shape how firms create relevant, useful content that addresses your needs:

Knobbe Martens on:

Reporters on Deadline

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
Custom Email Digest
- hide
- hide