by Dennis Crouch

In Backertop Licensing LLC v. Canary Connect, Inc., the Federal Circuit addressed the scope of a district court's inherent authority to investigate potential litigation misconduct. Chief Judge Connolly of the District of Delaware had initiated an inquiry into dozens of patent infringement cases filed by plaintiff LLCs associated with IP Edge, a patent monetization firm, and Mavexar, an affiliated consulting shop. The district court was concerned that the real parties in interest may have been concealed, that fictitious patent assignments were filed with the USPTO to shield those parties from liability, and that the plaintiff LLCs' attorneys may have violated the Rules of Professional Conduct by taking direction from Mavexar without their formal-clients' informed consent.

by Dennis Crouch

In the recent case of Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. v. Insall, No. 23-1888 (7th Cir.  July 12, 2024), the Seventh Circuit affirmed an arbitration award requiring Zimmer to continue paying royalties to the estate of Dr. John Insall even after the expiration of the underlying patents.  This decision highlights the significant deference afforded to arbitration agreements and the limited ability of courts to vacate arbitral awards, even when they conflict with Supreme Court precedent.

The key precedents underlying the dispute in Zimmer v. Insall are Brulotte v. Thys Co., 379 U.S. 29 (1964) and Kimble v. Marvel Entertainment, LLC, 576 U.S. 446 (2015). In Brulotte, the Supreme Court held that "a patentee's use of a royalty agreement that projects beyond the expiration date of the patent is unlawful per se."

By Dennis Crouch

This case would be great for a 2L law review note.

Back in May 2024, the Federal Circuit issued an important decision holding that a patentee's use of Amazon's patent enforcement process (APEX) to target an alleged infringer's listings can subject the patent owner to specific personal jurisdiction in the alleged infringer's home state - despite no direct contacts with that state.  SnapRays, LLC v. Lighting Defense Group, LLC, No. 2023-1184 (Fed. Cir. 2024). The patentee has now petitioned for en banc rehearing, arguing that the opinion conflicts with prior Federal Circuit precedent and makes a holding that the Supreme Court at least implicitly rejected in Walden.  The case is important as APEX and other similar private sales-channel enforcement processes become increasingly popular. SnapRays En Banc Petition.

My view: The Federal Circuit erred here.