Case Summary : CAFC Alert

Non-enabling disclosure by first inventor of low defect single crystal was sufficient to defeat under 102(g) patent claim of subsequent inventor

| December 12, 2012

The Fox Group, Inc. v. Cree, Inc.

November 28, 2012

Panel:  Newman, O’Malley, and Wallach.  Opinion by Wallach.  Dissent by O’Malley.

Summary:

 (1)   Summary judgment in favor of defendant was affirmed with respect to asserted claims because (a) defendant was first to reduce to practice the claimed SiC single crystal, and (2) plaintiff did not produce sufficient evidence raising genuine issue of material fact to show that defendant suppressed or concealed the invention.

 (2)   Holding that unasserted claims were invalid was vacated.
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Prior art can show what the claims would mean to those skilled in the art

| December 5, 2012

ArcelorMittal v. AK Steel Corp.

November 30, 2012

Panel: Dyk, Clevenger, and Wallach.  Opinion by Dyk.

Summary:

The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware held that defendants AK Steel did not infringe plaintiffs ArcelorMittal’s U.S. Patent No. 6,296,805 (the ‘805 patent), and that the asserted claims were invalid as anticipated and obvious based on a jury verdict.

ArcelorMittal appealed the district court’s decision.  On appeal, the CAFC upheld the district court’s claim construction in part and reverse it in part.  With regard to anticipation, the CAFC reversed the jury’s verdict of anticipation.  With regard to obviousness, the CAFC held that a new trial is required because the district court’s claim construction error prevented the jury from properly considering ArcelorMittal’s evidence of commercial success.

미국 델라웨어주 연방지방법원 (U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware)은 원고 (ArcelorMittal)가 피고 (AK Steel)를 상대로 낸 특허 침해 소송에서 원고의 특허 (U.S. Patent No. 6,296,805)가 예견가능성 (anticipation) 및 자명성 (obviousness) 기준을 통과하지 못하였다는 배심원의 판단을 바탕으로 피고가 원고의 특허를 침해하지 않았다고 판결하였다.

이에 불복하여 원고는 연방항소법원 (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit)에서 상고 (appeal) 하였으며, 연방항소법원은 지방법원의 청구항 해석 (claim construction)에 대해 일정 부분은 확인하였으나, 나머지 부분은 번복하였다.

예견가능성과 관련하여 연방항소법원은 배심원의 예견가능성 판단과 다른 결정을 내렸다.

자명성과 관련해서는 연방지방법원의 잘못된 청구항 해석으로 인하여 배심원이 원고의 상업적 성공 (commercial success) 증거를 고려하지 않았기때문에 재심 (new trial)이 필요하다고 판결하였다.


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Method Claim Survives Over MPF Claim’s Demise Under Aristocrat

| November 28, 2012

ePlus, Inc. v. Lawson Software, Inc.

November 21, 2012

Dyk, Prost, O’Malley.  Opinion by Prost.

Summary:

This case serves as a reminder of the importance of having different claim types.  ePlus’ jury verdict of infringement of two systems claims was vacated because the Federal Circuit found one means-plus-function element recited therein to lack the requisite corresponding structure being disclosed in the specification, thereby rendering the claims indefinite under 35 USC §112, second paragraph.  However, the infringement of a similar method claim reciting the same function as the means-plus-function element was affirmed.


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Latest Developments in Calculating Patent Term Adjustment (PTA) from the District Courts

| November 21, 2012

Exelixis, Inc. v. Kappos

Decided  November 1, 2012

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

University of Massachusetts v. Kappos

Decided  November 9, 2012

U.S. District Court for the District of Colombia

Summary

This week, rather than discuss a CAFC case, we take a look at two important District Court cases dealing with Patent Term Adjustment (PTA).  According to Exelixis, under 35 U.S.C. §154(b)(1)(B), the filing of a Request for Continued Examination (RCE) has no impact on PTA determinations when filed after the three year examination guarantee has passed.  Additionally, according to University of Massachusetts, under 35 U.S.C. §154(b)(1)(A), a fundamentally flawed Office Action will count towards calculating an A delay.


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CAFC discusses interplay between means-plus-function and claim differentiation

| November 19, 2012

Icon Health & Fitness, Inc. v. Octane Fitness, LLC.

October 14, 2012

PROCEDURAL SUMMARY

ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. (“ICON”) owner of USP 6,019,710 (the “’710 patent”) sued Octane Fitness (“Octane”) for infringement in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.   The District Court granted summary judgment of non-infringement of claims 1–5, 7, and 9–10 of the ’710 patent by concluding that the “stroke rail” and “means for connecting” limitations were absent in Octane’s Q45 and Q47 machines.  On appeal, the CAFC agreed with the District Court’s claim construction and affirmed the District Court’s holding of non-infringement.


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Article posted to online periodical qualified as “printed publication” under §102(b) where person skilled in the art could have located it

| November 15, 2012

Voter Verified, Inc. v. Election Systems & Software

Decided  November 5, 2012

Panel: Lourie, Reyna, and Wallach.  Opinion By: Lourie

Summary

The patent holder alleged that automated voting systems of its competitors infringed U.S. Reissue Patent RE40,449 (“the ‘449 patent”).  The district court found that claim 49 of the ‘449 patent was invalid as obvious under 35 U.S.C.S. § 103 in view of an article in an online periodical before the patent’s critical date.  The district court found that an article in an online periodical qualified as a printed publication under 35 U.S.C.S. § 102(b).  CAFC affirmed holding that the article could have been located by someone skilled in the art before the critical date.

特許権者は、競合企業を再発行特許RE40,449号の侵害で訴えた。地裁は特許のクレーム49がオンライン定期刊行物の論文から自明であり、無効であるとした。地裁は、その論文は102条の「刊行物」に該当すると認定した。CAFCは、その論文が出願日の1年前より前に、当業者が見つけることができる状態にあったとして、地裁の判断を維持した。


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CAFC does not find means-plus-function in a “height adjustment mechanism”

| November 7, 2012

Flo Heathcare Solutions v. Kappos

October 23, 2012

Panel: Newman, Plager, and Wallach.  Opinion by Wallach.

PROCEDURAL SUMMARY

The patentee sued the defendant for infringement.  The defendant then requested inter partes reexamination of the patent.  The trial judge stayed the infringement action, pending completion of the reexamination.  The patent reexamination examiner and the Patent Office Board rejected the claims as being anticipated by the prior art.  On appeal, the CAFC disagreed with the PTO Board’s claim construction; but even under the CAFC’s claim construction, it found that the claims were anticipated and therefore affirmed the PTO’s rejection of the claims


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Designer’s Connection with Paris Insufficient to Overcome a Section 2(e)(3) Refusal

| October 24, 2012

In re Miracle Tuesday, LLC

October 4, 2012

Panel: Rader, Linn, O’Malley.  Opinion by O’Malley

Summary

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“the Board”), refusing to register the mark JPK PARIS 75 and design on the grounds that it is primarily geographically deceptively misdescriptive under Section 2(e)(3) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1052(e)(3).  While the CAFC does not endorse a rule that the goods need to be manufactured in the named place to originate there, there must be some other direct connection between the goods and the place identified in the mark.  In this case, the CAFC found there is no evidence of a current connection between the goods and Paris.

商標審判は、商標「JPK PARIS 75」は、「産地について誤信を生じさせる商標(primarily geographically deceptively misdescriptive)」であると認定し、CAFCは、これを支持した。 CAFCは、商品がその産地にて製造される必要があるとは示さなかったものの、商品とその産地には直接的な関係が必要であると示した。本件では、商品とパリに直接的な関係が存在するという証拠はなかった


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Apple is bit at CAFC: The Court reversed and remanded a preliminary injunction obtained at the District Court against Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus Smartphone

| October 17, 2012

Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics, Ltd. et al.

Decided: October 11, 2012

Panel:  Prost, Moore, and Reyna.  Opinion by Prost.

Summary

The CAFC reversed the District Court’s finding that there was irreparable harm to Apple by allowing sales of the Galaxy Nexus.  The CAFC held that there was an insufficient causal nexus between the claimed invention and the sales of the product.  The Court also addressed Apple’s likelihood of success to interject claim construction.


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Saved by Therasense: Deliberate decision to withhold references not found where art was cited in foreign counterpart and domestic co-pending applications

| October 10, 2012

1st Media v. Electronic Arts et al.

Decided  September 13, 2012

Panel: Rader, Linn and Wallach.  Opinion by Rader.

Summary

This case demonstrates how Therasense has changed the inequitable conduct analysis.  Although the individual inventor and sole practitioner knew of references which were probably material, and did not submit the references, this is now insufficient to demonstrate inequitable conduct.  It must additionally be shown that there was a specific decision to withhold the documents from the USPTO, in order to show an intent to deceive.  This can be demonstrated, for example, by selective disclosure.  However, no such evidence was presented, and thus an intent to deceive, the first part of the inequitable conduct analysis, was not found.


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