The Patent Trial and Appeal Board did not err in finding that certain claims of Slot Speaker Technologies, Inc.’s sound reproduction system patent were invalid as obvious in light of prior art, according to the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit. However, the Board erred in holding that a third claim was not…
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court reversed and remanded a Federal Circuit decision upholding a jury’s award of damages to Apple Inc. based on infringement of its design patents by Samsung Electronics, Co. Ltd. At issue was whether, in the case of a multicomponent product, the relevant “article of manufacture” must always be the…
Actavis Laboratories UT, Inc. was unable to show that patents licensed to Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. covering its testosterone gel product Fortesta® were invalid as obvious in light of prior art, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Therefore, a district court ruling finding that the patents were not obvious was affirmed…
A district court properly denied a plaintiff attorney fees after it had accepted an offer of judgment to settle claims for damages and equitable relief, the U.S. Court of Appeals in New York City has held (Steiner v. Lewmar, Inc., March 7, 2016, Chin, D.). An award of costs was proper. A full summary of…
A patent application was properly denied on the basis that it covered the abstract idea of rules for playing a wagering game and used conventional steps of shuffling and dealing a standard deck of cards, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (In re Ray Smith and Amanda Tears Smith, March…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal of a district court’s motions to compel arbitration and stay proceedings (Let’s Go Aero, Inc. v. Cequent Performance Products, Inc., March 3, 2016, Taranto, R.). A ruling on arbitrability would be advisory as to the district court’s order. A full summary of this…
A patent holder’s application to reissue his patent with altered, broader claims was properly rejected by a patent examiner and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Patent Trial and Appeal Board based on the anticipation of the claims by prior art, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (In re Taylor,…
