FedCircuitBlog

Here is an update on recent activity at the Supreme Court in cases decided by the Federal Circuit. With respect to granted cases, Arellano filed his reply brief in Arellano v. McDonough. With respect to petitions, one new petition was filed with the Court in a Rule 36 case, three amicus briefs were submitted in a patent case, and a brief in opposition was submitted in the same patent case. Here are the details.

The Federal Circuit did not release any opinions or orders this morning on its website.

The Federal Circuit has scrapped its plan to unseal records in hundreds of cases. Last week, we reported how the Federal Circuit announced its intention to unseal a significant number of sealed paper case records and then send those records to the National Archives and Records Administration. The court directed parties to show cause why those records should not be unsealed and made available to the public. Late yesterday, however, the Federal Circuit announced it has issued a new order rescinding its show cause order. The court explained this reversal as “due to administrative impracticality.” Instead of unsealing these records, the court now indicates, the records “will be transferred in due course to the National Archives and Records Administration for permanent retention in their current state.” Here is the full text of the announcement as well as text from the accompanying, new order.

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. The court received a new petition raising questions related to the critical date of prior art. The court also received a response to a petition raising questions related to the written description requirement. Finally, the court denied a petition in a case raising questions related to obviousness-based inherency of claim limitations. Here are the details.

This morning the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The court affirmed the Board’s rejection of patent claims based on lack of subject matter eligibility. The Federal Circuit also released a nonprecedential order dismissing an appeal. Here is the introduction to the opinion and a link to the dismissal.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

• an article about a recent Federal Circuit decision addressing estoppel in inter partes review patent proceedings;
• an article discussing another recent decision in which an “Endo International Plc subsidiary failed to convince the Federal Circuit that a generic version of its bestselling blood-pressure drug infringed its patents”;
• a third article summarizing another recent decision invoking “the rule prohibiting recapture of subject matter surrendered during prosecution” following an amendment “to overcome a § 101 patent eligibility rejection.”

This morning the Federal Circuit released a nonprecedential opinion in a case appealed from the Court of Federal Claims. In the opinion, the Federal Circuit explains why it affirms a dismissal for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Here is the introduction to the opinion.

Last week, the Federal Circuit issued its opinion in LaBonte v. United States, a case we have been following because it attracted an amicus brief. In this case, LaBonte filed suit in the Court of Federal Claims to challenge a denial by the Army Board for Correction of Military Records of his claim for a retroactive medical retirement. The Court of Federal Claims, however, dismissed Mr. LaBonte’s claim for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, reasoning that the Board did not have authority to grant LaBonte the relief he was seeking. In an opinion authored by Judge Schall and joined by Judges Chen and Stoll, the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded the case. This is our opinion summary.

This morning the Federal Circuit released a nonprecedential order dismissing an appeal for failure to prosecute. Here is text from the order.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

• an article arguing “[a] review of the Federal Circuit’s motion panel assignment procedures makes clear that a party can time its filing to take advantage of the makeup of a current motion panel or wait for a future panel [that] has more judges considered favorable on the issue of venue mandamus”;
• an earlier article by the same authors arguing that “what is often portrayed as a rogue district court at odds with a supervising appellate court is in fact two things quite different–yet familiar to patent practitioners”; and
• a third article addressing the Federal Circuit’s denial of a petition for a writ of mandamus seeking to compel the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to grant Director Review of decisions not to institute inter partes review and post grant review.