Tag Archives: Kessler Doctrine

One Bite at the Apple: WARF’s Second Infringement Theory Gets Precluded

August 28, 2024Patentcollateral estoppel, Kessler Doctrine, paidDennis Crouch

by Dennis Crouch

In a significant ruling that underscores the importance of strategic litigation planning in patent cases, the Federal Circuit has affirmed a district court’s judgment barring Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) from pursuing doctrine of equivalents infringement claims against Apple after the patentee’s failed bid to show literal infringement. Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation v. Apple Inc., No. 22-1884 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 28, 2024). The case addresses two separate but related disputes: WARF I, concerning Apple’s A7 and A8 processors, and WARF II, involving Apple’s A9 and A10 processors. The Federal Circuit’s decision hinges on three key legal principles: waiver, issue preclusion, and the Kessler doctrine. In particular, the court expanded the scope of both issue preclusion and the Kessler doctrine in favor of accused infringers.

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No Concrete Plans, No Standing: Federal Circuit’s Latest on IPR Appeals

August 18, 2024PatentAIA Trials, Article III, Case-or-Controversy, Constitutional Law, Dismissal with Prejudice, Federal Circuit, infringement, IPR, judicial review, Kessler Doctrine, obviousness, paid, patent litigation, standingDennis Crouch

by Dennis Crouch

The recent Federal Circuit decision in Platinum Optics v. Viavi Solutions focuses attention once again on the case-and-controversy requirement derived from Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which extends federal judicial power to “Cases” and “Controversies.”

The seemingly simple phrase has been the subject of extensive judicial jockeying in the development of the doctrine we know as “standing.” (more…)