Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc.

 
DOCKET NO.
95-26
OP. BELOW
SUBJECT
Patent
AUTHOR
Souter

Question(s) Presented

“The question here is whether the interpretation of a so-called patent claim, the portion of the patent document that defines the scope of the patentee’s rights, is a matter of law reserved entirely for the court, or subject to a Seventh Amendment guarantee that a jury will determine the meaning of any disputed term of art about which expert testimony is offered.”

Holding

“We hold that the construction of a patent, including terms of art within its claim, is exclusively within the province of the court.”