Tag Archives: Supreme Court

Supreme Court Orders FedCir to reconsider Medtronic Lawsuit

The Supreme Court has issued a GVR order in Medtronic v. NuVasive and ordered the Federal Circuit to consider how Commil impacts the case.

The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted. The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for further consideration in light of Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc., 575 U. S. ___ (2015).

In its petition, Medtronic had directly requested for the Supreme Court to issue this GVR – Grant-Vacate-and-Remand order.

The primary holding of Commil is that belief-of-patent-invalidity is not a defense to allegations of inducement.  Relevant for Medtronic, the Supreme Court also indicated in Commil that inducement requires proof that the accused inducer knew that the actions being induced constituted patent infringement.  Those statements from the Supreme Court have been seen as clearing up some uncertainty following Global-Tech.

Although Medtronic did know of the patent at issue, the patentee apparently did not prove that the defendant “knew surgeons using its [accused] NIM-Eclipse medical device during spinal surgery would infringe NuVasive’s patent.”  Rather, Medtronic argues that it “reasonably believed using its NIM-Eclipse device during surgery did not infringe under a proper reading of the patent claims.”

The case will likely serve as a bellwether indication of how the Federal Circuit will work through the mens-rea requirements for inducement post Commil and Global Tech.

 

Supreme Court grants Certiorari in Challenge of Inter Partes Review Proceedings

by Dennis Crouch

The Supreme Court has granted writ of certiorari in the pending Inter Partes Review challenge of Cuozzo Speed Tech v. Lee, Docket No. 15-446. 

Questions Presented:

  1. Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that, in IPR proceedings, the Board may construe claims in an issued patent according to their broadest reasonable interpretation rather than their plain and ordinary meaning.
  2. Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that, even if the Board exceeds its statutory authority in instituting an IPR proceeding, the Board’s decision whether to institute an IPR proceeding is judicially unreviewable.

Nine briefs amici were filed at the petitions stage. I expect that number will double for the merits stage.

More from Patently-O on the case: https://patentlyo.com/?s=cuozzo

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The court also granted certiorari for a second time Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley. This time, the focus is on the award of attorney fees to the prevailing party in copyright cases.

Question Presented:

What constitutes the appropriate standard for awarding attorneys’ fees to a prevailing party under section 505 of the Copyright Act.

Section 505 (17 U.S.C. 505) states that: “the court may also award a reasonable attorney’s fee to the prevailing party as part of the costs.”  However, there is a circuit split as to when it should be awarded. According to the petition:

The Ninth and Eleventh Circuits award attorneys’ fees when the prevailing party’s successful claim or defense advanced the purposes of the Copyright Act. The Fifth and Seventh Circuits employ a presumption in favor of attorneys’ fees for a prevailing party that the losing party must overcome. Other courts of appeals primarily employ the several “nonexclusive factors” this Court identified in dicta in Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc., 510 U.S. 517, 534 n.19 (1994). And the Second Circuit, as it did in this case, places “substantial weight” on whether the losing party’s claim or defense was “objectively unreasonable.” Matthew Bender & Co. v. W. Publ’g Co., 240 F.3d 116, 122 (2d Cir. 2001).

 As a reminder, in Kirtsaeng I, the Supreme Court ruled that copyright exhaustion (first sale doctrine) applies to international sales of the copyrighted work that were lawfully made abroad.  This rule is opposite to that in patent cases (Jazz Photo), but the issue is core to the pending en banc Lexmark case. A decision is expected any day in Lexmark.

Lighting Ballast at the Supreme Court: The Role of Extrinsic Evidence in Claim Construction

by Dennis Crouch

In Lighting Ballast, construction of the claimed “voltage source means” has been the subject of five different court opinions. Three interpreted the claim term as a means-plus-function limitation and the other two found it not to be in MPF form.  The distinction is important for the case because it serves as a validity trigger.  The patent specification did not describe an embodiment of the voltage source means and so the term would necessarily be deemed indefinite if interpreted as an MPF under 35 U.S.C. 112¶6 (now renumbered as section 112(f)).

The five prior decisions included a district court reversing itself and then being re-reversed by the Federal Circuit panel whose decision was reaffirmed by an en banc Federal Circuit. Finally, after an opinionless post-Teva vacatur (GVR) from the Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit reversed course again and gave deference to the district court’s fact-finding.  The result of this last judgment was to reinstate the final district court determination that a person of skill in the art would interpret the term as connoting a structural element and thus not a pure “means” claim. This was a win for the patentee.

Now, the adjudged infringer Universal Lighting has petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari with the following question presented:

When and how can expert testimony or other extrinsic evidence be used to avoid the construction of a patent claim otherwise dictated by the patent’s intrinsic record, including in particular to avoid the restrictions imposed by 35 U.S.C. §112 ¶ 6 on functional claiming?

The original lighting ballast issue focused on appellate deference – an issue largely decided by the Supreme Court in its 2015 Teva v. Sandoz decision.  Markman was also a case focused on process (judge vs jury).  As presented here, the case has the potential of shifting to substance of claim construction.  If it takes the case, the court will almost certainly need to delve into the goals and purposes of claim construction and the inherent conflicts between a claim’s most literal meaning, its drafter’s intended meaning, and the notice of scope provided to the world.

The brief was drafted by Steven Routh and his team at Orrick who also represented ULT at the Federal Circuit. Read the petition here: https://patentlyo.com/media/2016/01/LightingBallastPetition.pdf.

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I used this case as the subject of last fall’s Patent Law Moot Court Competition (sponsored by McKool Smith) and most of the arguments centered around this same issue of whether the expert testimony that a engineers understand Voltage Source Means as a structural term of art (a Battery or Rectifier) was sufficient to overcome the strong presumption that accompanies the use of the term “means.”  The students also debated whether, following Williamson v. Citrix, any such presumption should still exist.

Pending Supreme Court Patent Cases 2016 (January 12 Update)

by Dennis Crouch

As of January 12, the Supreme Court has granted two petitions for certiorari for this term. Both Halo and Stryker cover the same topic of enhanced damages, a.k.a. willfulness. Another 17 petitions remain pending. Following its latest conference, the Court denied two low-quality petitions (Arunachalam and Morgan) and also the SpeedTrack case which had focused on interesting but esoteric preclusion issues involving the “Kessler doctrine.”

The important inter partes review case Cuozzo survived its first conference and is up on the blocks for a second round this week. This type of immediate “relisting” occurs in almost all cases where certiorari is granted and raises the odds of grant to >50%. Because the US Patent Office is a party in the case, there would be no call for the views of the Solicitor General before granting / denying certiorari. Nine amici briefs were also filed at the petition stage – a factor that also raises the likelihood that certiorari will be granted.

1. Petitions Granted:

2. Petitions for Writ of Certiorari Pending:

  • Design Patents: Samsung Electronics Co. v. Apple Inc., No 15-777 (design patent scope and damages calculation)
  • InducementLife Technologies Corporation, et al. v. Promega Corporation, No. 14-1538 (whether an entity can “induce itself” under 271(f)(1))(CVSG, awaiting government brief)
  • InducementMedtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc., et al. v. NuVasive, Inc., No. 15-85 (Commil re-hash – mens rea requirement for inducement)
  • Inducement: Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., et al., No. 15-559 (Commil re-hash – if actions were “not objectively unreasonable” can they constitute inducement?)
  • Post Grant AdminCuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-446 (BRI construction in IPRs; institution decisions unreviewable)
  • Post Grant AdminAchates Reference Publishing, Inc. v. Apple, Inc., et al., No. 15-842 (IPR institution decisions unreviewable, even when addressed in a final written decision by PTAB)
  • Post Grant AdminInterval Licensing LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-716 (Can the Patent and Trademark Office appropriately apply the “broadest reasonable interpretation” standard in construing patent claims in post-grant validity challenges?)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Vermont v. MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, No. 15-838 (Federal court jurisdiction in anti-troll consumer protection case)
  • Preclusion or JurisdictionAlexsam, Inc. v. The Gap, Inc., No. 15-736 (appellate jurisdiction over patents that were dropped from case pre-trial) (New Petition)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction:
    ePlus, Inc. v. Lawson Software, Inc., No. 15-639 (what happens with a finally-determined permanent injunction after PTO cancels the patent claim?)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Alps South, LLC v. The Ohio Willow Wood Company, No. 15-567 (If patent ownership is fixed after the filing of a complaint, can jurisdiction be cured by a supplemental complaint)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Biogen MA, Inc. v. Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, et al., No. 15-607 (Whether AIA eliminated federal district courts’ jurisdiction over patent interference actions under 35 U.S.C. § 146.)
  • Eligibility Challenges: Retirement Capital Access Management Company, LLC v. U.S. Bancorp, et al., No. 15-591 (Whether subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 is a ground specified as a condition for patentability under 35 U.S.C. § 282(b)(2))
  • Claim Construction: Media Rights Technologies, Inc. v. Capitol One Financial Corporation, et al., No. 15-725 (Claim Construction: whether there a strong presumption against construing terms as subject to 35 U.S.C. § 112p6 that do not recite the term “means.”)
  • Patent Term Adjustment Dispute: Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-652 (Patent Term Adjustment – whether the 180 day deadline applies; could bleed into admin law issues)
  • Damages: STC, Inc. v. Global Traffic Technologies, No. 15-592 (Whether marking the packaging of a patented article with patent notification satisfies the marking provision of 35 U.S.C. § 287(a) where the patented article itself is undisputedly capable of being marked.)
  • Damages: Innovention Toys, LLC v. MGA Entertainment, Inc., et al., No. 15-635 (Stryker/Halo follow-on)

3. Petitions for Writ of Certiorari Denied:

  • Allvoice Developments US, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., No. 15-538
  • OIP Technologies, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 15-642
  • Fivetech Technology Inc. v. Southco, Inc., No. 15-381
  • Tyco Healthcare Group LP, et al. v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., No. 15-115
  • Nautilus, Inc. v. Biosig Instruments, Inc., No. 15-561
  • Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd., et al. v. Eidos Display, LLC, et al., No. 15-288
  • Kenneth Butler, Sr. v. Balkamp Inc., et al., No. 15-273    
  • Arthrex, Inc. v. KFx Medical Corporation, No. 15-291
  • Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., et al. v. Apotex Inc., No. 15-281
  • Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Apotex Inc., No. 15-307
  • Luv N’ Care, Ltd. v. Munchkin, Inc., No. 15-242
  • Automated Merchandising Systems, Inc. v. Michelle K. Lee, Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office, No. 15-326
  • I/P Engine, Inc. v. AOL Inc., et al., No. 14-1358
  • Interval Licensing LLC v. AOL Inc., et al., No. 14-1362
  • Content Extraction and Transmission LLC v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, et al., No. 14-1473
  • W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., et al., No. 15-41
  • NetAirus Technologies, LLC v. Apple Inc., No. 14-1353
  • Muffin Faye Anderson v. Kimberly-Clark Corporation, No. 14-10337
  • MobileMedia Ideas LLC v. Apple Inc., No. 15-206
  • SpeedTrack, Inc. v. Office Depot, Inc. et al., No. 15-461 (Kessler doctrine)
  • Rodney K. Morgan, et al. v. Global Traffic Technologies LLC, No. 15-602
  • Lakshmi Arunachalam v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., No. 15-691

4. Prior versions of this report:

 

Pending Supreme Court Patent Cases for 2016

by Dennis Crouch

Welcome to 2016! As of January 1, only two petitions for certiorari have been granted this term — both covering the same topic of enhanced damages, a.k.a. willfulness. Another 20 petitions remain pending, a few of which may have legs.

New petitions from the past fortnight include Achates v. Apple (reviewability of IPR institution decision) and Vermont v. MPHJ (federal court jurisdiction in anti-troll consumer protection case).

1. Petitions Granted:

2. Petitions for Writ of Certiorari Pending:

  • Design Patents: Samsung Electronics Co. v. Apple Inc., No 15-777 (design patent scope and damages calculation)
  • InducementLife Technologies Corporation, et al. v. Promega Corporation, No. 14-1538 (whether an entity can “induce itself” under 271(f)(1))(CVSG, awaiting government brief)
  • InducementMedtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc., et al. v. NuVasive, Inc., No. 15-85 (Commil re-hash – mens rea requirement for inducement)
  • Inducement: Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., et al., No. 15-559 (Commil re-hash – if actions were “not objectively unreasonable” can they constitute inducement?)
  • Post Grant AdminCuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-446 (BRI construction in IPRs; institution decisions unreviewable)
  • Post Grant AdminAchates Reference Publishing, Inc. v. Apple, Inc., et al., No. 15-842 (IPR institution decisions unreviewable, even when addressed in a final written decision by PTAB)
  • Post Grant AdminInterval Licensing LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-716 (Can the Patent and Trademark Office appropriately apply the “broadest reasonable interpretation” standard in construing patent claims in post-grant validity challenges?)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Vermont v. MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, No. 15-838 (Federal court jurisdiction in anti-troll consumer protection case)
  • Preclusion or JurisdictionAlexsam, Inc. v. The Gap, Inc., No. 15-736 (appellate jurisdiction over patents that were dropped from case pre-trial) (New Petition)
  • Preclusion or JurisdictionSpeedTrack, Inc. v. Office Depot, Inc. et al., No. 15-461 (Kesslerdoctrine – enhanced preclusion)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction:
    ePlus, Inc. v. Lawson Software, Inc., No. 15-639 (what happens with a finally-determined permanent injunction after PTO cancels the patent claim?)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Alps South, LLC v. The Ohio Willow Wood Company, No. 15-567 (If patent ownership is fixed after the filing of a complaint, can jurisdiction be cured by a supplemental complaint)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Biogen MA, Inc. v. Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, et al., No. 15-607 (Whether AIA eliminated federal district courts’ jurisdiction over patent interference actions under 35 U.S.C. § 146.)
  • Eligibility Challenges: Retirement Capital Access Management Company, LLC v. U.S. Bancorp, et al., No. 15-591 (Whether subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 is a ground specified as a condition for patentability under 35 U.S.C. § 282(b)(2))
  • Claim Construction: Media Rights Technologies, Inc. v. Capitol One Financial Corporation, et al., No. 15-725 (Claim Construction: whether there a strong presumption against construing terms as subject to 35 U.S.C. § 112p6 that do not recite the term “means.”)
  • Patent Term Adjustment Dispute: Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-652 (Patent Term Adjustment – whether the 180 day deadline applies; could bleed into admin law issues)
  • Damages: STC, Inc. v. Global Traffic Technologies, No. 15-592 (Whether marking the packaging of a patented article with patent notification satisfies the marking provision of 35 U.S.C. § 287(a) where the patented article itself is undisputedly capable of being marked.)
  • Damages: Innovention Toys, LLC v. MGA Entertainment, Inc., et al., No. 15-635 (Stryker/Halo follow-on)
  • Soon to be DeniedArunachalam v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., No. 15-691 (unclear)
  • Soon to be DeniedMorgan, et al. v. Global Traffic Technologies LLC, No. 15-602 (unclear)

3. Petitions for Writ of Certiorari Denied:

  • Allvoice Developments US, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., No. 15-538
  • OIP Technologies, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 15-642
  • Fivetech Technology Inc. v. Southco, Inc., No. 15-381
  • Tyco Healthcare Group LP, et al. v. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., No. 15-115
  • Nautilus, Inc. v. Biosig Instruments, Inc., No. 15-561
  • Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd., et al. v. Eidos Display, LLC, et al., No. 15-288
  • Arthrex, Inc. v. KFx Medical Corporation, No. 15-291
  • Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., et al. v. Apotex Inc., No. 15-281
  • Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Apotex Inc., No. 15-307
  • Luv N’ Care, Ltd. v. Munchkin, Inc., No. 15-242
  • Automated Merchandising Systems, Inc. v. Michelle K. Lee, Director, United States Patent and Trademark Office, No. 15-326
  • I/P Engine, Inc. v. AOL Inc., et al., No. 14-1358
  • Interval Licensing LLC v. AOL Inc., et al., No. 14-1362
  • Content Extraction and Transmission LLC v. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, et al., No. 14-1473
  • W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., et al., No. 15-41
  • NetAirus Technologies, LLC v. Apple Inc., No. 14-1353
  • Muffin Faye Anderson v. Kimberly-Clark Corporation, No. 14-10337
  • MobileMedia Ideas LLC v. Apple Inc., No. 15-206

Commil v. Cisco: Despite Supreme Court Win, Patentee Still Loses

Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc., __ F.3d __ (Fed. Cir. 2015)

On remand from the Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit has again concluded that the jury’s infringement verdict was wrong – but this time altering the grounds for its decision. “We now conclude that substantial evidence does not support the jury’s finding that Cisco’s devices, when used, perform the ‘running‘ step of the asserted claims. The district court’s judgment is therefore reversed.”

In its 2015 decision in the case, the Supreme Court had rejected the prior Chief Judge Prost non-infringement opinion. Under the Supreme Court analysis, the good-faith (but wrongly held) belief that a patent is invalid does not excuse a defendant’s actions to actively induce another party to infringe the patent.

Rather than re-focusing on the legal intricacies of inducement, this time the appellate panel shifted focus to the defendant’s alternative argument — that there was no underlying infringement.  Here, the patent is directed to a wireless communication system with at least two Base Stations that run a “low level” protocol for each connection, but according to the appellate panel, the patentee failed to prove that Cisco (or its customers) used their base stations in that manner. Instead, Cisco’s testimony was that its Base Stations operate a single protocol instance that is used for all connections.

The most interesting element of this decision is that it could have been written back in 2014 when the panel wrote its original decision and the Federal Circuit could have avoided the questionable legal grounds that were later rejected.

 

Pending Supreme Court Patent Cases (Update)

by Dennis Crouch

As of December 14, two petitions for certiorari have been granted — both covering the same topic of enhanced damages, a.k.a. willfulness. Another 17 petitions remain pending, a few of which have potential.

  1. Petition Granted:
  1. Petition for Writ of Certiorari Pending:
  • Design Patents: Samsung Electronics Co. v. Apple Inc., No 15-___ (design patent scope and damages calculation)(New Petition)
  • InducementLife Technologies Corporation, et al. v. Promega Corporation, No. 14-1538 (whether an entity can “induce itself” under 271(f)(1))(CVSG)
  • InducementMedtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc., et al. v. NuVasive, Inc., No. 15-85 (Commilre-hash – mens rea requirement for inducement)
  • Inducement: Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., et al., No. 15-559 (Commilre-hash – if actions were “not objectively unreasonable” can they constitute inducement?)
  • Post Grant AdminCuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-446 (BRI construction in IPRs; institution decisions unreviewable)
  • Post Grant AdminInterval Licensing LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-716 (Can the Patent and Trademark Office appropriately apply the “broadest reasonable interpretation” standard in construing patent claims in post-grant validity challenges?)
  • Preclusion or JurisdictionAlexsam, Inc. v. The Gap, Inc., No. 15-736 (appellate jurisdiction over patents that were dropped from case pre-trial) (New Petition)
  • Preclusion or JurisdictionSpeedTrack, Inc. v. Office Depot, Inc. et al., No. 15-461 (Kesslerdoctrine – enhanced preclusion)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: ePlus, Inc. v. Lawson Software, Inc., No. 15-639 (what happens with a finally-determined permanent injunction after PTO cancels the patent claim?)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Alps South, LLC v. The Ohio Willow Wood Company, No. 15-567 (If patent ownership is fixed after the filing of a complaint, can jurisdiction be cured by a supplemental complaint)
  • Preclusion or Jurisdiction: Biogen MA, Inc. v. Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, et al., No. 15-607 (Whether AIA eliminated federal district courts’ jurisdiction over patent interference actions under 35 U.S.C. § 146.)
  • Eligibility Challenges: Retirement Capital Access Management Company, LLC v. U.S. Bancorp, et al., No. 15-591 (Whether subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 is a ground specified as a condition for patentability under 35 U.S.C. § 282(b)(2))
  • Claim Construction: Media Rights Technologies, Inc. v. Capitol One Financial Corporation, et al., No. 15-725 (Claim Construction: whether there a strong presumption against construing terms as subject to 35 U.S.C. § 112p6 that do not recite the term “means.”)
  • Patent Term Adjustment Dispute: Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-652 (Patent Term Adjustment – whether the 180 day deadline applies; could bleed into admin law issues)
  • Damages: STC, Inc. v. Global Traffic Technologies, No. 15-592 (Whether marking the packaging of a patented article with patent notification satisfies the marking provision of 35 U.S.C. § 287(a) where the patented article itself is undisputedly capable of being marked.)
  • Damages: Innovention Toys, LLC v. MGA Entertainment, Inc., et al., No. 15-635 (Stryker/Halo follow-on)
  • Soon to be DeniedArunachalam v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., No. 15-691 (unclear)
  • Soon to be DeniedMorgan, et al. v. Global Traffic Technologies LLC, No. 15-602 (unclear)

Pending Supreme Court Patent Cases

by Dennis Crouch

1.   Petition Granted:

2.   Petition for Writ of Certiorari Pending:

  • Life Technologies Corporation, et al. v. Promega Corporation, No. 14-1538 (Can an entity “induce itself” under 271(f)(1)?)(CVSG)
  • Allvoice Developments US, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., No. 15-538 (“Do patent claims addressed directly to software that is inherently in a computer-readable medium qualify as a ‘manufacture’ under 35 U.S.C. § 101 without express recitation of the medium?”)
  • OIP Technologies, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 15-642 (Do the rules of civil procedure apply when defendant raises a Section 101 eligibility “defense” in a motion-to-dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted?)
  • Fivetech Technology Inc. v. Southco, Inc., No. 15-381 (What is the proper role of intrinsic evidence in claim construction?)
  • Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc., et al. v. NuVasive, Inc., No. 15-85 (Commil re-hash – mens rea requirement for inducement)
  • SpeedTrack, Inc. v. Office Depot, Inc. et al., No. 15-461 (Kessler doctrine – enhanced preclusion)
  • Cuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-446 (BRI construction in IPRs; institution decisions unreviewable).
  • Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., et al., No. 15-559 (Commil re-hash – if actions were “not objectively unreasonable” can they constitute inducement?)
  • Alps South, LLC v. The Ohio Willow Wood Company, No. 15-567 (If patent ownership is fixed after the filing of a complaint, can jurisdiction be cured by a supplemental complaint)
  • STC, Inc. v. Global Traffic Technologies, No. 15-592 (Whether marking the packaging of a patented article with patent notification satisfies the marking provision of 35 U.S.C. § 287(a) where the patented article itself is undisputedly capable of being marked.)
  • Retirement Capital Access Management Company, LLC v. U.S. Bancorp, et al., No. 15-591 (Whether subject matter eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 is a ground specified as a condition for patentability under 35 U.S.C. § 282(b)(2))
  • Biogen MA, Inc. v. Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, et al., No. 15-607 (Whether AIA eliminated federal district courts’ jurisdiction over patent interference actions under 35 U.S.C. § 146.)
  • ePlus, Inc. v. Lawson Software, Inc., No. 15-639 (what happens with a finally-determined permanent injunction after PTO cancels the patent claim?)
  • Interval Licensing LLC v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-716 (Can the Patent and Trademark Office appropriately apply the “broadest reasonable interpretation” standard in construing patent claims in post-grant validity challenges?)
  • Media Rights Technologies, Inc. v. Capitol One Financial Corporation, et al., No. 15-725 (Claim Construction: whether there a strong presumption against construing terms as subject to 35 U.S.C. § 112p6 that do not recite the term “means.”)
  • Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd. v. Michelle K. Lee, No. 15-652 (Patent Term Adjustment – whether the 180 day deadline applies)
  • Innovention Toys, LLC v. MGA Entertainment, Inc., et al., No. 15-635 (Stryker/Halo follow-on)
  • Morgan, et al. v. Global Traffic Technologies LLC, No. 15-602 (unclear)
  • Arunachalam v. JPMorgan Chase & Co., No. 15-691 (unclear)

Nautilus Submerges Again — Upcoming Supreme Court Cases

That was quick: The Supreme Court has denied certiorari in Nautilus v. Biosig (round II).  I discuss that case here.

The Supreme Court also denied cert in Tyco v. Ethicon (15-115) (under pre-AIA law, does prior conception under 102(g) count as prior art under 103(a)?) and denied the certiorari rehearing request in Netairus v. Apple (14-1353) (when does a device infringe a method claim?).

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Coming up this month for consideration by the court:

  • Fivetech Technology Inc. v. Southco, Inc., No. 15-381 (what is the proper role of intrinsic evidence in claim construction?)
  • Allvoice Developments US, LLC v. Microsoft Corp., No. 15-538 (is software stored on a computer-readable medium a “manufacture” under Section 101?)
  • OIP Technologies, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 15-642 (do the rules of civil procedure apply when defendant raises a Section 101 eligibility “defense” in a motion-to-dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted?)

Nautilus Surfaces Again at the Supreme Court

Nautilus v. Biosig (Supreme Court 2015) (SCOTUS ROUND II)

In Nautilus (2014), the Supreme Court significantly heightened the standard for definiteness in patent cases – now requiring that claim scope be delineated with “reasonable certainty.” Previously, the Federal Circuit had only invalidated claims that were both “insolubly ambiguous” and not amenable to construction.

On remand, the Federal Circuit took-in the new standard, but again ruled that the “spaced relationship” limitation in Biosig’s patent was not problematic. That decision (and a series of others) have suggested that, despite the Supreme Court decision, indefiniteness is still a very tough-sell in infringement litigation.

Now, the case again has been petitioned to the Supreme Court. Nautilus asks two questions:

… To perform [its] public-notice function, a patent claim must be clear the day it issues. This Court accordingly rejected the Federal Circuit’s post hoc “amenable to construction” standard: “It cannot be sufficient that a court can ascribe some meaning to a patent’s claims; the definiteness inquiry trains on the understanding of a skilled artisan at the time of the patent application, not that of a court viewing matters post hoc.” But, the remand panel again did the opposite. It copied and pasted much of its opinion this Court had vacated. It did not even mention the original prosecution history. Instead, it again viewed the claim post hoc in view of statements made in Patent Office proceedings 15 years after the patent issued. And, it again relied upon a purely functional distinction over a structurally identical prior-art design as supposedly providing sufficient clarity. The questions presented are:

1. Is a patent claim invalid for indefiniteness if its scope is not reasonably certain the day the patent issues, even if statements in later Patent Office proceedings clarify it?

2. Is a patent claim invalid for indefiniteness if its scope is distinguished from prior art solely by a functional requirement, rather than by any structural difference?

The petition has been supported by two amici filings. The first filed by a group of operating companies – including Garmin and SAS – all of whom have been accused of infringing what they allege are indefinite patents. The second amicus brief was filed by a joint effort of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Public Knowledge.

Briefs:

Federal Circuit to Wait on Carnegie Mellon Willfulness Case until the Supreme Court Decides Halo and Stryker

Carnegie Mellon University v. Marvell Tech (Fed. Cir. 2015) [CMUMarvellEnBanc]

The Federal Circuit has issued an interesting en banc order in this billion-dollar-case between the university patentee and the storage/chip maker Marvell. The Pennsylvania district court had originally awarded $1.5 billion to the university based upon a judgment of willful infringement. On appeal, however, the Federal Circuit panel reduced that award to a still-healthy but much smaller $278 million. The reduction was based upon (1) elimination of punitive damages for willfulness since Marvell had an objectively reasonable argument of invalidity; and (2) potential elimination of foreign sales from the award calculation – sales contracts were apparently “inked” in the US but then manufactured and delivered abroad. Regarding this cross-border infringement, the panel did not fully deny the availability of damages but instead remanded for further development as to whether the chips made and used outside of the U.S. could be considered “sold” in the U.S. based upon the contracting location.

After cross en banc petitions by Carnegie Mellon and Marvell, the court now writes:

Carnegie Mellon’s petition for rehearing en banc is denied in part and held in abeyance in part. The court will hold in abeyance any decision on the request for rehearing en banc with respect to the first issue raised in Carnegie Mellon’s petition, which seeks review of the panel’s ruling on the enhancement of damages issue. The court will hold Carnegie Mellon’s petition as to that issue pending the Supreme Court’s decision in Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc., 769 F.3d 1371 (Fed. Cir. 2014) cert. granted, No. 14-1513, 2015 WL 3883472 (U.S. Oct. 19, 2015) and Stryker Corp. v. Zimmer, Inc., 782 F.3d 649 (Fed. Cir. 2015) cert. granted, No. 14-1520, 2015 WL 3883499 (U.S. Oct. 19, 2015).

Carnegie Mellon’s petition for rehearing en banc is otherwise denied. Marvell’s petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc is denied.

A partial mandate will issue returning the case to the district court, which shall have discretion to determine how and when best to handle the proceedings on remand.

Willfulness at the Supreme Court: In my view, there is a good chance that the Supreme Court will dramatically change course on willfulness doctrine. The history of patent law had given broad discretion to district courts to determine the appropriate circumstances for awarding punitive damages. And, that history fits well with other areas of law as well as with the Patent Act that broadly and simply states that “the court may increase the damages up to three times the amount found or assessed.” 35 U.S.C. §284. Note here, that the statute does not even require willful infringement as a prerequisite and certainly does not delve into the layered subjective/objective approach currently required by the Federal Circuit. Rather, the only statutory limitation on enhanced damages is that they
“shall not apply to provisional rights under §154 (d).”

In Carnegie Mellon’s case, the enhanced damages were about 20% of the total $1.5 billion (updated by 1000x).

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Generally, the Federal Circuit’s strategy here is interesting and overall I like it. In the past there have been times where the Federal Circuit silently delayed its decision making. This case is also big-money, I wonder wither the Federal Circuit will be willing to delay all of its willfulness cases pending the outcome of Halo and Stryker. And, is this a suggestion to district courts to also delay? An important element of the decision here is that there is a parallel remand and so the willfulness issue is not the last remaining issue in the case and so the court’s delay is likely not delaying the final outcome.

Supreme Court to hear cases on Federal Circuit’s Rigid Limits on Treble Damages

The Supreme Court has now granted certiorari in two enhanced fee award patent cases: Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc., S.Ct. No. 14-1513 and Stryker Corp. v. Zimmer, Inc., No. 14-1520.

The court linked the two together and will hold one big oral arguments (one hour) focusing on whether the Federal Circuit’s rigid test limiting enhanced patent damages is appropriate — especially following the Supreme Court’s decision in Octane Fitness where the Supreme Court rejected a parallel rigid test in the fee-shifting situation.

Those familiar with treble-damages know that the Federal Circuit has created a complex and rigid test for determining whether such awards may be granted.  The statute though is simple and only states that “the court may increase the damages up to three times the amount found or assessed.” 35 U.S.C. 284.

In this case, the Supreme Court is very likely to require flexibility – what is unclear is what level of flexibility will be allowed. For instance, will enhanced damages continue to be limited to willful infringement?

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Questions presented (both of these appear to be in close parallel):

Halo: Whether the Federal Circuit erred by applying a rigid, two-part test for enhancing patent infringement damages under 35 U.S.C. § 284, that is the same as the rigid, two-part test this Court rejected last term in Octane Fitness, LLC v. ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. for imposing attorney fees under the similarly-worded 35 U.S.C. § 285.

Stryker: Whether the Federal Circuit improperly abrogated the plain meaning of 35 U.S.C. § 284 by forbidding any award of enhanced damages unless there is a finding of willfulness under a rigid, two-part test, when this Court recently rejected an analogous framework imposed on 35 U.S.C. § 285, the statute providing for attorneys’ fee awards in exceptional cases.

 

Pending Cases at the Supreme Court

As we sit here today, there are no pending patent cases before the Supreme Court where the court has granted certiorari.  That said, there are a large number of pending petitions.  These include Cuozzo & Pulse that I have previously discussed. WilmerHale has been covering these, but is a few months behind.

The following are a few recently filed petitions:

Teva Follow-On: FiveTech v. SouthCo: (1) Can the Federal Circuit limit the role of the intrinsic evidence in construing patent claims under the exacting “lexicography and disavowal” standard; (2) Does the “lexicography and disavowal” standard improperly circumscribe the objective standard of the person of ordinary skill in the art in construing claim terms.

Teva Follow-On: Chunghwa Picture Tubes v. Eidos: Whether a district court’s factual finding(s) underlying its construction of a patent claim term must be reviewed for clear error under Rule 52(a)(6) as this Court held in Teva, or is an exception created to clear error review where the appellate court finds the intrinsic record clear after a de novo review of that record, as the Federal Circuit held in this case.

Attorney Fees in Copyright:

Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley (Kirtsaeng II): What is the appropriate standard for awarding attorneys’ fees to a prevailing party under § 505 of the Copyright Act?

Omega v. Costco (Costco II): (1) Can Copyright attorney fees be based on a finding that petitioner engaged in copyright misuse when the issue of misuse was appealed but left undecided on appeal? (2) Can the pursuit of a claim of copyright infringement constitute “copyright misuse” when the allegedly infringing copy is a “pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work” that is reproduced in a “useful” article.

Inter Partes Review Challenges:

Automated Merchandising v. Michelle Lee: (1) Must the federal judiciary await the substantive conclusion of an agency proceeding before it can evaluate whether an express statutory limitation on that agency’s jurisdiction requires that agency to terminate its proceeding? (2) Did the Federal Circuit err in refusing to order the USPTO to terminate the subject inter partes reexaminations under 35 U.S.C. § 317(b)?

Luv N’ Care v. Munchkin: Did the Federal Circuit err by affirming a PTAB administrative judgment based on new issues raised sua sponte by the PTAB at the Final Hearing, thus depriving the patent owner of notice and a meaningful opportunity to respond?

ANDA Loophole Cases:

Mylan v. Apotex:  (1) Whether Article III’s case or controversy requirement can be satisfied by a suit which seeks a judgment of non-infringement of a disclaimed patent. (2) Whether Congress can create Article III jurisdiction by imposing statutory consequences that turn on obtaining a judgment of non-infringement of a disclaimed patent.

Daiichi Sankyo v. Apotex: Whether an action seeking a declaration judgment of non-infringement presents a justiciable case or controversy under Article III of the Constitution where the patent at issue was previously disclaimed and thus cannot be enforced.

Design Patent Summary Judgment: Butler v. Balkamp: Is summary judgement proper in a District Court when a factual dispute exists in a Design Patent action and the District Court substitutes its own opinion for that of the ordinary observer?

Reasons to Combine and Obviousness: Arthrex v. KFX Medical: (1) Is the “reason to combine” inquiry a subsidiary question of fact, subject to deferential review on appeal, or a legal question for the court, and reviewed de novo. (2) Should the ultimate legal issue of obviousness be resolved by the court rather than submitted to the jury for resolution.

Cuozzo Takes IPR Challenge to the Supreme Court

Cuozzo Speed Tech v. Lee (Supreme Court 2015)

Cuozzo lost its petition for en banc rehearing in a 6-5 split of Federal Circuit judges.  Now, the patentee has raised is challenge to the IPR process to the Supreme Court – asking two questions:

  1. Whether the [Federal Circuit] erred in holding that, in IPR proceedings, the Board may construe claims in an issued patent according to their broadest reasonable interpretation rather than their plain and ordinary meaning.
  2. Whether the [Federal Circuit] erred in holding that, even if the Board exceeds its statutory authority in instituting an IPR proceeding, the Board’s decision whether to institute an IPR proceeding is judicially unreviewable.

Answers to these questions will fundamentally alter the inter partes review system. The petition does a good job of walking through the importance of the case and then separately explaining their legal argument.

I’m sure that we’ll cover this case more as the briefing moves forward – amici have 30 days to file.  Meanwhile, read the petition here: Cuozzo Speed Technologies LLC v Michelle K Lee Petition for a Writ of Certiorari

The Cuozzo petition was filed by a rising star in Supreme Court practice – Jeffrey Wall, who is partner at Sullivan & Cromwell.  Wall was a clerk for Justice Thomas and was an Assistant to the Solicitor General for five years. He also has the distinguishing mark of being my law school classmate (as well as Prof. Rantanen).

 

Federal Circuit Sends Bad-Faith-Patent-Assertion Case back to State Court

Vermont v. MPHJ Tech (Fed. Cir. 2015)

In an interesting opinion, the Federal Circuit has rejected MPHJ’s plea to get into Federal Court. The State of Vermont sued the patent holder for violations of Vermont Consumer Protection Act (VCPA) stemming from MPHJ’s patent enforcement campaign. The letter campaign had three stages:

  1. Letter from the shell company stating that “we have identified your company as one that appears to be using the patented [scanner-to-email] technology” suggesting that “you should enter into a license agreement with us at this time.”
  2. Follow-up letter a few weeks later from the Farney Daniels firm stating that a prior-non response is considered “an admission of infringement” and implying that litigation would commence if the recipient did not enter into a license agreement.
  3. A third follow up following the pattern of the second.

These actions prompted the Vermont Attorney General to sue under the VCPA – alleging unfair and deceptive trade practices based upon MPHJ’s “threating litigation even though litigation was unlikely, targeting small businesses, placing the burden on the recipient to do the investigation, using shell corporations to minimize liability; and stating in its letters that it would bring suit immediately absent a license, the licensing program was successful with many businesses taking part, and the average license was $1000/employee.” The state demanded a permanent injunction requiring that MPHJ comply with state law.

After VT filed its original complaint (but before it filed its amended complaint), the state enacted the “Vermont Bad Faith Assertions of Patent Infringement Act” (BFAPIA) that creates a new Vermont cause of action for “bad faith assertion of patent infringement” based upon factors such as “the contents of the demand letter, the extent of any pre-assertion investigation, demands for payment of a license fee in an unreasonably short time, and deceptive assertions of infringement.”

MPHJ alleges that the proposed injunction would force it to comply with BFAPIA, but that law is preempted by the US patent laws and – as such – that the case should be removed to Federal Court.

The Federal District Court denied MPHJ’s first removal request (based upon the first complaint) and second removal request (based upon the VT amended complaint).  It is that second denial that was appealed and the Federal Circuit here has affirmed the denial – limiting the appeal question to the BFAPIA issue and finding that the VT injunction does not raise the BFAPIA enforcement issue – especially since Vermont stipulated during oral arguments that they were not seeking an injunction that would require compliance with that statute.

Federal Circuit Jurisdiction: The most interesting aspect of the decision is Judge O’Malley’s discussion of Federal Circuit jurisdiction post-AIA and post-Gunn.

The America Invents Act amended Title 28 to now grant Federal Circuit appellate jurisdiction “in any civil action arising under, or in any civil action in which a party has asserted a compulsory counterclaim arising under, any Act of Congress relating to patents.” 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(1). This change extends the Federal Circuit’s jurisdiction to include cases where the patent issues arise only in a compulsory counterclaim (formerly, the focus was only on the complaint). The new statute also added additional language that “no state court shall have jurisdiction over any claim for relief arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents,” 28 U.S.C. § 1338(a), and a new removal statute indicating that “a civil action in which any party asserts a claim for relief arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents . . . may be removed to [federal] district court . . . .” 28 U.S.C. § 1454.

At the same time, in Gunn (2013) the Supreme Court contracted Federal Circuit jurisdiction to cases where (1) federal patent law creates the cause of action or (2) where, although the claim arises under state law, that a federal patent law issue is: (a) necessarily raised, (b) actually disputed, (c) substantial, and (d) capable of resolution in federal court without disrupting the federal-state balance approved by Congress. Gunn (interpreting pre-AIA law).

Here, MPHJ asserts that the Federal Circuit has jurisdiction over the appeal because its Counterclaim (No. 5) raises a patent law issue. In particular, MPHJ asked for “a declaratory judgment that the VCPA is invalid or preempted by the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments, the Supremacy and Patent Clauses, and Title 35 of the U.S. Code.”

Walking through this morass, the Federal Circuit first ruled that the counterclaim is a compulsory counterclaim because of its close factual and logical relationship with the main claim found in the complaint. The next question under Section 1295(a)(1) then, also answered affirmatively here, is whether the counterclaim “arises under” federal patent law. Although not a cause of action, the federal circuit found that the preemption defense is an important and necessary federal patent question whose resolution will have a broad impact on the federal patent system as a whole.

Whether federal patent laws preempt or invalidate the VCPA as applied has considerable significance beyond the current case. A hypothetical finding that the VCPA is not invalid or preempted in state court would affect the development of a uniform body of patent law, as such a decision would be binding in Vermont, but would not be in other states with similar laws or in federal court. The facts of this case are fundamentally unlike Gunn, in which the Court recognized that the federal issue was a “backward-looking . . . legal malpractice claim” that would be unlikely to have any “preclusive effect” on future patent litigation and was, therefore, not substantial. As an “as applied” challenge, counterclaim 5 depends to a certain extent on the specific facts of this case, but the resolution of this case would assist in delineating the metes and bounds of patent law and clarifying the rights and privileges afforded to patentees in pursuing patent infringement claims.

With that, the Federal Circuit found that it does indeed have appellate jurisdiction to hear the appeal.

At this point, you may be seeing a disconnect between the ultimate holding that I first described (effectively denying removal) and the new statute permitting removal of cases “in which any party asserts a claim for relief arising under any Act of Congress relating to patents” (§ 1454) – especially since the court just decided that the court here decided that MPHJ had indeed asserted a claim for relief arising under federal patent law. The resolution of that seeming conflict is procedural – “MPHJ has not appealed the district court’s ruling pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1454 [and thus] we have no occasion to address … how that newly enacted provision should be interpreted.”

The complicating factor is that it looks like the State court will now need to dismiss MPHJ’s preemption counterclaim because it arises under the patent law. 1338(a) and, at that point, MPHJ would seemingly have standing to file a federal declaratory judgment action raising preemption.

Court Maintains Laches Defense for Back Damages in Patent Cases

by Dennis Crouch

SCA Hygiene Products v. First Baby Products (Fed. Cir. 2015) (en banc)

On en banc rehearing, the Federal Circuit has ruled that the Supreme Court’s Petrella decision (eliminating the doctrine of laches for back-damages for copyright infringement) does not directly apply in the patent context.

All eleven members of the court agreed that, in the patent context, laches continues to be available in the context blocking equitable relief such as an injunction or ongoing royalties – when warranted by the equities.  However, the court indicated (dicta here) that laches should only apply to ongoing royalties in “extraordinary circumstances.”

The 6-5 split was on whether laches can be used to eliminate back-damages for infringement that occurred within the six-year statutory limit.  Here, the majority found that laches continues to apply.

Although laches is considered a judge-made equitable doctrine, the court smartly looked to the statute in reaching its conclusion. In particular, Section 282(b)(1) of the Patent Act states that “unenforceability” is a defense to allegations of patent infringement and back when the law was passed (1952) was understood to encompass defenses such as “laches, estoppel and unclean hands.”  Taking this together, the court found that Congress meant for the laches defense to continue to work alongside the six-year limit on back-damages.

Congress remained silent on the content of the laches defense. Section 282 therefore retains the substance of the common law as it existed at the time Congress enacted the Patent Act. . . . Upon review, the case law demonstrates that, by 1952, courts consistently applied laches to preclude recovery of legal damages. Nearly every circuit recognized that laches could be a defense to legal relief prior to 1952. . . . Following a review of the relevant common law, that meaning is clear: in 1952, laches operated as a defense to legal relief. Therefore, in § 282, Congress codified a laches defense that barred recovery of legal remedies.

Challenging this point, the Dissent argued that the relevant “common law” for consideration should have come from the Supreme Court which, according to the dissent, indicated that laches was only a defense to equitable actions.

The legal history point of debate seems to be whether we should look at the general common law of laches or instead the common law of laches as applied to patent lawsuits?

Majority: If Congress looked to the common law, it likely looked to the common law of patents rather than to more general principles.”

Dissent: Patent law is governed by the same common-law principles, methods of statutory interpretation, and procedural rules as other areas of civil litigation.

With a one-judge majority, the law remains that laches is “a defense to legal relief in a patent infringement suit.”

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The majority here argues correctly that we should look to the statute and see what it tells us. That approach makes sense in all patent cases, regardless of the issue.

What the majority finds is that the statute implicitly binds the court to implement the equitable defenses available in patent cases back in 1952 (when the relevant amendment was passed). At the same time, the majority appears perfectly comfortable with the notion that the scope of the equitable actions will continue to adjust over time and were in no way fixed by their incorporation into the 1952 Act.  Thus, when the court asks – what are the contours of the laches defense – it does not feel constrained to limit itself to 1952 precedent but instead looks directly to the recent Supreme Court decision in Petrella.

Federal Circuit Pushes Court to Stop Samsung’s Infringing Sales

Apple v. Samsung (Fed. Cir. 2015)

This portion of the saga focuses on Judge Koh’s refusal to award a permanent injunction against Samsung to prevent that company from continuing to infringe Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents. See U.S. Patent Nos. 5,946,647; 8,046,721; and 8,074,172.  Judge Koh reasoned that Apple had not shown that it would suffer irreparable harm without injunctive relief.

In a split decision, the Federal Circuit has rejected the lower court’s holding – vacated and remanded.

Apple was able to show lost sales and other market harms due to Samsung’s competing sales – but the core of the fight is whether those harms are being caused by infringement of the patents in question.  I.e., is there a “causal nexus” or proof of “some connection between the patented features and the demand for the infringing products.”  The district court’s error here (according to the panel) was that it required apple to prove that the infringing elements were the sole or primary drivers of the infringing sales.

Thus, in a case involving phones with hundreds of thousands of available features, it was legal error for the district court to effectively require Apple to prove that the infringement was the sole cause of the lost downstream sales. The district court should have determined whether the record established that a smartphone feature impacts customers’ purchasing decisions. Though the fact that the infringing features are not the only cause of the lost sales may well lessen the weight of any alleged irreparable harm, it does not eliminate it entirely. . . .

 

Walking through some of the evidence, the appellate panel found that Samsung’s copying of infringing features was evidence of a causal nexus as was willful infringement.  From the consumer viewpoint, the court identified evidence that consumers preferred infringing setup to non-infringing designs.  And finally, Apple’s internal evidence showed that it saw the infringing features as critical aspects of the iPhone.

Given the strength of the evidence of copying and Samsung’s professed belief in the importance of the patented features as a driver of sales, and the evidence that carriers or users also valued and preferred phones with these features, the district court erred by disregarding this evidence, which further establishes a causal nexus and Apple’s irreparable harm.

Bringing this together, the court writes:

In short, the record establishes that the features claimed in the ’721, ’647, and ’172 patents were important to product sales and that customers sought these features in the phones they purchased. While this evidence of irreparable harm is not as strong as proof that customers buy the infringing products only because of these particular features, it is still evidence of causal nexus for lost sales and thus irreparable harm. Apple loses sales because Samsung products contain Apple’s patented features. The district court therefore erred as a matter of law when it required Apple to show that the infringing features were the reason why consumers purchased the accused products. Apple does not need to establish that these features are the reason customers bought Samsung phones instead of Apple phones—it is enough that Apple has shown that these features were related to infringement and were important to customers when they were examining their phone choices. On this record, applying the correct legal standard for irreparable harm, Apple has established irreparable harm.

On remand, we can expect Judge Koh to issue an injunction to stop Samsung’s ongoing infringement.

The following are a few key excerpts from the three decisions:

Judge Moore (Opinion of the Court): 

The right to exclude competitors from using one’s property rights is important. And the right to maintain exclusivity—a hallmark and crucial guarantee of patent rights deriving from the Constitution itself—is likewise important. “Exclusivity is closely related to the fundamental nature of patents as property rights.” Douglas Dynamics, LLC v. Buyers Prods. Co., 717 F.3d 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2013),. And the need to protect this exclusivity would certainly be at its highest when the infringer is one’s fiercest competitor. Essentially barring entire industries of patentees—like Apple and other innovators of many-featured products—from taking advantage of these fundamental rights is in direct contravention of the Supreme Court’s approach in eBay. (“[E]xpansive principles suggesting that injunctive relief could not issue in a broad swath of cases . . . cannot be squared with the principles of equity adopted by Congress.”). . . .

If an injunction were not to issue in this case, such a decision would virtually foreclose the possibility of injunctive relief in any multifaceted, multifunction technology.

Judge Reyna (Concurring Opinion): Judge Reyna’s opinion is a strong push-back against eBay – arguing that infringement should create a presumption of irreparable harm:

I write to add that I believe Apple satisfied the irreparable injury factor based on Samsung’s infringement on Apple’s right to exclude and based on the injury that the infringement causes Apple’s reputation as an innovator. There is no dispute that Samsung has infringed Apple’s right to exclude and, absent an injunction, it will likely continue to do so. I believe that such a finding satisfies the irreparable harm requirement because the infringement is, in this case, “irreparable.” On reputational injury, the roles are reversed: it is undisputed that such an injury is irreparable; the question is whether this injury will likely occur. As I explain below, I believe that the record here—particularly the toe-to-toe competition between Apple and Samsung, Apple’s reputation as an innovator, and the importance of the patents-in-suit to that reputation—establishes that Apple will likely suffer irreparable harm to its reputation.

Chief Judge Prost in Dissent:

This is not a close case. One of the Apple patents at issue covers a spelling correction feature not used by Apple. Two other patents relate to minor features (two out of many thousands) in Apple’s iPhone—linking a phone number in a document to a dialer, and unlocking the screen. Apple alleged that it would suffer irreparable harm from lost sales because of Samsung’s patent infringement. For support, Apple relied on a consumer survey as direct evidence, and its allegations of “copying” as circumstantial evidence. The district court rejected both evidentiary bases. On the record of this case, showing clear error in the district court’s factual findings is daunting, if not impossible.

If I were you, I’d read this decision: http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/opinions-orders/14-1802.Opinion.9-15-2015.1.PDF

 

 

Guest Post: In Rush to Invalidate Patents at Pleadings Stage, Are Courts Coloring Outside the Lines?

Guest post by David Bohrer, Patent Trial Practice, Valorem Law Group.colored floppy

OIP Technologies v. Amazon.com and IPC v. Active Network are the most recent of a growing number of decisions dismissing software and business method patent lawsuits on the pleadings. In these decisions, the courts are finding that the invention alleged in the complaint is an abstract idea that is not eligible for patent protection.

While early resolution of patent litigation is laudable, motions directed to the pleadings generally may not consider matters outside what is pled in the complaint. Yet this is what courts are doing — they have been coloring outside the lines when deciding whether a patented software or business method is an ineligible abstraction.  They are looking beyond the allegations in the complaint to discern “fundamental economic concepts.”  Independent of anything pled in the complaint, they are making historical observations about alleged longstanding commercial practices and deciding whether the claimed invention is analogous to such practices.

Coloring outside the lines may not be acceptable.  The benefit of providing an early exit from otherwise expensive and burdensome patent litigation may be outweighed by the prejudice to all parties of eroding the rules regarding the matters that may be considered before throwing out a lawsuit. Perhaps there is a better solution. Perhaps pleading motions challenging patent subject matter eligibility should be converted to expedited and limited scope summary judgment motions, thereby allowing the parties to present declarations, testimony and other extrinsic evidence that better address whether a claimed economic practice is an unpatentable idea or a patentable invention.

Alice is being used to obtain early dismissal of lawsuits based on software and business method patents

Courts granting patent ineligible subject matter motions are using the Supreme Court’s 2014 Alice decision as an effective weapon to combat vexatious patent litigation brought by non-practicing entities (NPEs). See Curiouser and Curiouser Is Alice the Long Sought Troll Killer _ The Legal Intelligencer.  Alice provides relatively easy to satisfy requirements for demonstrating that an asserted software patent is claiming an “abstract idea” and therefore is not eligible for patent protection under section 101 of the patent statute.

Not only have courts found in Alice the tools necessary to dispose of vexatious patent lawsuits asserting software and business method patents, they also are willing to entertain an Alice challenge at the pleadings stage.  The procedural posture of a pleading motion is key to using Alice to “kill trolls.”  Defendants can challenge the merits of the patent lawsuit at the pleadings stage and before having to incur significant expenses associated with discovery, claim construction, experts and summary judgment. The nuisance value of the lawsuit goes way down.  Defendants are less likely to feel they have to pay a distasteful settlement or else bear the much greater expense of defending on the merits.

Recent Federal Circuit decisions continue the trend

On June 11, 2015 and again on June 23, 2015, the Federal Circuit affirmed decisions by the Northern District of California dismissing software patent lawsuits at the pleading stage. In each of these cases, OIP Technologies v. Amazon.com (underlying patent claimed offer-based price optimization) and IPC v. Active Network (retaining information lost in the navigation of online forms) the district courts granted Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss on the grounds that the patents claimed abstract ideas ineligible for patent protection.

In each case, the Federal Circuit approved the resolution of 101 eligibility at the pleading stage with little to no analysis. In IPC, the Federal Circuit’s opinion includes one sentence in which the court states that claim construction (which had not yet occurred) is “not an inviolable concept.” In OIP, the lead opinion does not address how early in litigation alleged ineligibility may be resolved, but in a concurring opinion Judge Mayer supports addressing eligibility at the motion-to-dismiss stage.

Failure to recite statutory subject matter is the sort of “basic deficiency,” that can, and should, “be exposed at the point of minimum expenditure of time and money by the parties and the court,” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 558 (2007) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). Addressing 35 U.S.C. § 101 at the outset not only conserves scarce judicial resources and spares litigants the staggering costs associated with discovery and protracted claim construction litigation, it also works to stem the tide of vexatious suits brought by the owners of vague and overbroad business method patents. Accordingly, where, as here, asserted claims are plainly directed to a patent ineligible abstract idea, we have repeatedly sanctioned a district court’s decision to dispose of them on the pleadings. See, e.g., Content Extraction & Transmission LLC v. Wells Fargo Bank, 776 F.3d 1343, 1349 (Fed. Cir. 2014); Ultramercial, Inc. v. Hulu, LLC, 772 F.3d 709, 717 (Fed. Cir. 2014); buySAFE, Inc. v. Google, Inc., 765 F.3d 1350, 1352 (Fed. Cir. 2014). I commend the district court’s adherence to the Supreme Court’s instruction that patent eligibility is a “threshold” issue, Bilski v. Kappos, 561 U.S. 593, 602 (2010), by resolving it at the first opportunity.

Contrary to the suggestion made by Judge Mayer, the Supreme Court has not addressed whether it is appropriate to address a 101 challenge at the pleading stage. Bilski’s characterization of patent eligibility as a “threshold” issue was made with reference to the 102 and 103 invalidity defenses and did not address the procedural issue. Bilski also cites to extrinsic economic treatises and other evidence of economic practice in support of the decision reviewing the denial of a patent application. Alice did NOT address patent eligibility in the context of a pleadings motion, but instead reviewed a patent eligibility ruling that was made at summary judgment. Alice cites to the same extrinsic economic evidence relied upon in Bilski.

There is not supposed to be any coloring outside the lines on pleadings motions

The well-established general rule is that Rule 12(b)(6) motions to dismiss as well as Rule 12(c) motions for judgment on the pleadings are limited to the well-pled factual allegations made in the complaint. “A court generally cannot consider material outside of the complaint (e.g., facts presented in briefs, affidavits or discovery materials).” Chavez v. United States, 683 F.3d 1102, 1108 (9th Cir. 2012); In re American Cont’l Corp./Lincoln Sav. & Loan Sec. Litig., 102 F.3d 1524, 1537 (9th Cir. 1996) (As recognized in OIP and IPC, the Federal Circuit applies regional circuit law in deciding motions to dismiss.).

Yet this is what is happening

Notwithstanding these rules, OIP and IPC each looked beyond the complaint in determining whether the asserted claims are directed to ineligible abstract ideas. In OIP, the asserted price optimization claims were deemed “similar to other ‘fundamental economic concepts’ found to be abstract ideas.” In IPC, the asserted online information retention claims were deemed “well-understood, routine, conventional activities previously known.” In each instance, the court is looking at practices and activities outside of anything alleged in the complaint.

These Federal Circuit cases teach that it is acceptable to consider matters outside of the complaint, as confirmed by Affinity Labs of Texas v. Amazon.com (June 12, 2015 WD Tex.), in which the magistrate judge, applying 101 precedent from OIP and other Federal Circuit decisions, says that it is making “general historical observations that come to mind.” Based on such extrinsic “historical observations,” the court finds that the claimed invention of delivering selectable media content and subsequently playing the selected content on a portable devices is a “long-standing commercial practice and is therefore abstract.”

The Court notes that the first transistor radio, which delivers selectable audio media to a portable device, was developed in the late 1940s and was immensely popular in the succeeding decades. Similarly, the first portable televisions, another form of delivering “selectable” media content to a portable device, were introduced in the 1980s and 1990s. The above examples represent just a few of the many general historical observations that come to mind as evidence of the long-standing commercial practice of delivering selectable media content and subsequently playing the selected content on a portable device.

Reliance on extrinsic evidence of economic practices and concepts found in precedent

OIP and IPC support their abstract idea findings by equating the economic purpose of the asserted patent with the economic concepts successfully challenged in other cases. For example, in OIP, the Federal Circuit says offer-based price optimization (at issue in OIP) is analogous to using advertising as an exchange or currency (deemed an abstract idea in the earlier Federal Circuit decision Ultramercial v. Hulu). Likewise, in IPC, the Federal Circuit said that recent precedent illustrates the boundary between abstraction and patent eligible subject matter. But how is the court in a position to make the connection between the asserted claims and prior precedent on its own observation and independent of expert testimony or other relevant extrinsic evidence? Judge Mayer and many other respected judges might reply that it is acceptable to make this connection because it is “plain” or “obvious.” Yet this seems to invite the application of 20-20 hindsight and of the “I know it when I see it” standard.

Can’t take judicial notice of truth of findings made in other decisions

Furthermore, while a court may take judicial notice of another court’s opinion in ruling on a motion to dismiss, it may do so only as to the existence of the opinion and not for the truth of the facts recited therein. Lee v. City of Los Angeles, 250 F.3d 668, 690 (9th Cir. 2001). It appears that cases such as OIP and IPC are relying on the truth of factual findings made in other decisions regarding whether certain economic concepts are “conventional” or “well-known” – such matters appear outside the scope of what may be judicially noticed in a motion to dismiss.

Possible solution is expedited and limited scope summary judgment motions

A court’s consideration of information outside the four corners of the complaint, assuming it does not fall within exceptions such as judicial notice, converts a motion to dismiss into a summary judgment motion. Lee, 250 F.3d at 688. True enough, this raises the specter of time-consuming discovery and case development (see the criticism of ED Texas Judge Gilstrap’s requirement that the parties demonstrate that there is a good faith basis for such a motion). This said, district courts have the discretion to expedite such motions as well as limit their scope. They could, for example, specifically require the responding party to submit to expedited discovery on the issue whether the asserted patent claims eligible subject matter followed by expedited briefing and submission of evidence on both the question whether the purpose of the asserted claims is a conventional economic concept and therefore an ineligible abstract idea, and if so, whether there is an inventive concept that saves the claim from dismissal. They could stay other case development or discovery during the expedited resolution of the motion. It does not necessarily follow that the court would have to conduct claim construction as part of the process. The parties, as they do now, could brief whether claim construction is necessary, but would also have greater flexibility in terms of their ability to submit proofs in support of their claim construction arguments. Woe unto the party who purports without any reasonable basis to have compelling extrinsic evidence that they are not asserting a conventional economic concept or that their patent is directed to a protected inventive concept– the district courts have ample support in High Octane and its progeny for awarding fees under such circumstances.

If courts are going to color outside the lines, then let the parties do the same thing

Courts are willing to color outside the lines and consider extrinsic evidence upon addressing motions to dismiss challenging alleged ineligible patent subject matter. This contravenes well-established rules and policies regarding pleading challenges and may cause undue prejudice by denying a party the ability to submit extrinsic evidence in support of a well-pled claim. A possible solution is for the court to allow the parties to color outside the lines as well. The court has the discretion to impose time and scope limits on discovery and briefing without opening the door to prolonged, vexatious litigation.

Supreme Court Slows its Patent Law Jurisprudence?

The Supreme Court had denied petitions for certiorari in three IP cases out of the Federal Circuit:

  • Google v. Oracle (Federal Circuit held that the Java API naming scheme was copyrightable and not an ineligible “system or method of operation”).
  • Google v. Vederi (Federal Circuit held that an amendment during prosecution to overcome a rejection need not be “strictly construed against the applicant”).
  • Ultramercial v. WildTangent (Federal Circuit held the patented method of distributing media content with advertising to be a patent ineligible abstract idea).

Apart from leaving-stand the particular holdings, these outcomes may collectively signal a time of out-breath for Supreme Court patent law jurisprudence.  By my count, there are no patent decisions pending before the Court (with certiorari granted) and none of the petitions on file carry a substantial chance of being granted.

Court’s Holding that Malpractice Measured at Time of Representation Saves Firm from Later Change in Law

Rich Products Corporation asked Kenyon & Kenyon to file applications in Mexico and Columbia.  Apparently, the firm timely filed the Mexican application as of how the law was then-interpreted; but the law later changed, and the application was deemed filed too late.  Rich Products then sued the firm for malpractice.  The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, held that because malpractice is measured at the time of the events, the lawyer had breached no duty.  The case is here.

This is something I often think about, given the changing nature of the “rules” about claim interpretation.  For example, certain claim formats have grown less helpful over the years.  I also wonder how much this defense works if it’s a foreseeable change in the law (it’s not clear here what, exactly, changed in Mexican law).

The case was remanded to figure out the Columbian claim.