En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include two new petitions raising questions concerning actual reduction to practice and obviousness. The court also denied another petition raising a question related to obviousness. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit. Last week, the court granted en banc rehearing in a patent case addressing the applicable test for non-obviousness of designs under design patent law. The court also filed an order holding another related patent case in abeyance pending the en banc review of the granted case. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include a new petition presenting questions related to means-plus-function claims and a denial of a petition presenting a question related to appellate jurisdiction. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit. Since our last update, the en banc court decided a veterans case law week, addressing the question of whether equitable estoppel may be used against the government with respect to establishing the effective date of an award pursuant to 38 U.S.C. § 5110. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include a new petition presenting questions related to obviousness, a response brief addressing standards governing reissue, and denials of two petitions presenting questions related to definiteness and claim construction. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include a new petition presenting a question related to the standard of review of obviousness determinations and a response brief addressing what constitutes a final judgment for purposes of appellate jurisdiction. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include a new petition presenting questions related to patent reissue and the written description requirement; two new invitations for response to petitions presenting questions related to patent reissue, the written description requirement, and appellate jurisdiction; and denials of two petitions presenting questions related to the non-obviousness requirement and anticipation. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include a new petition filed in a case raising a question about what constitutes a final judgment for purposes of appellate jurisdiction, three new responses to petitions related to eligibility and design patent’s non-obviousness requirement, and two amicus briefs also related to design patent’s non-obviousness requirement. The court also denied two petitions raising questions about eligibility and infringement. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity

Recent En Banc Activity

Here is an update on recent en banc activity at the Federal Circuit in patent cases. Highlights include new petitions filed in four cases raising questions about the non-obviousness and novelty patentability requirements, the definiteness requirement, and principles of claim construction. The court also denied two petitions raising questions about eligibility and infringement. Here are the details.

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En Banc Activity / Opinions

Opinions & Orders – April 28, 2023

This morning, the Federal Circuit released a precedential order announcing that a majority of the judges in regular active service voted for sua sponte en banc consideration of a case involving an alleged violation of the Equal Pay Act. The court also released a precedential opinion in the same case, vacating a dismissal and remanding the case for further proceedings. In Part II.B of the opinion, the en banc court overruled one of the court’s prior opinions, which the court explains “added an extra element to an EPA claimant’s prima facie case—namely, a showing that the pay differential ‘is either historically or presently based on sex.’” Here is the text of the order and the introduction to the opinion.

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