FedCircuitBlog

According to the U.S. Courts website and as just announced by the Federal Circuit itself, Federal Circuit Judge Evan J. Wallach will take senior status at the end of May, ending a nine-and-a-half year stint on the court. Notably, this will represent the court’s first judicial vacancy in six years, a relatively long span dating back prior to the Trump administration. Judge Wallach’s transition to senior status potentially provides the first of several vacancies for President Biden to fill. The Senate Judiciary Committee, now chaired by Senator Durbin, will likely play an important role in the selection and confirmation of Judge Wallach’s successor. For today, however, we highlight Judge Wallach’s service to the United States both prior to and after his appointment to the Federal Circuit.

• Federal Circuit Backs PTO’s Broad Discretion Over AIA Challenges – In denying a petition for a writ of mandamus directed at the PTAB, the Federal Circuit reaffirmed the discretion of the PTO over institutions of IPRs.
• Albright Rebuked Again by CAFC After Letting Second Transfer Motion Linger – The Federal Circuit granted a second stay in proceedings in In re Tracfone Wireless, Inc. before Judge Alan Albright after having recently granted another stay in a separate case.
• Federal Circuit Will Weigh In On Government Shutdown Wage Case – The government will argue before the Federal Circuit about failing to pay timely wages to government workers during a government shutdown.

Here’s the latest.

• U.S. v. Arthrex: Is Historical Practice of the USPTO Relevant? – One factor that the Supreme Court may consider in determining the appropriate remedy if necessary for the appointment of administrative patent judges is the historical practice of the USPTO.
• Apple Faces Dubious Federal Circuit on Patent Ownership Argument – Judges Chen and Linn of the Federal Circuit seemed to doubt the interpretation of the contract language that Apple is relying on to challenge Omni MedSci’s ownership of the allegedly infringed patents.
• Federal Circuit on TM Licensing: We’re Going to Enforce the Terms – The Federal Circuit held that the Army properly refused Authentic Apparel’s proposal to make certain Army-branded items, including the expansion of a clothing line featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Here’s the latest.

• Now Streaming On YouTube: The Federal Circuit – The Federal Circuit will begin livestreaming the audio feed of oral arguments on YouTube starting in March.
• Make It Pithy and Other Lawyer Tips From a Federal Circuit Judge – Judge Raymond Chen of the Federal Circuit spoke on Friday at the 17th Annual Symposium on Emerging Intellectual Property Issues providing his prospective and tips to lawyers in the field.

Here’s the latest.

• Patenting Software-Related Inventions Is Getting Easier – Experts analyze Federal Circuit precedent and USPTO guidance to advance two recommendations for IP practitioners with regard to ensuring patent eligibility of inventions directed to software-related technologies.
• CAFC Reverses In-Part, Vacates In-Part PTAB Patentability Finding for Skin Cancer Detection Device – The Federal Circuit used an obviousness analysis and ruled that the PTAB erred in holding that patent claims directed at a skin cancer detection device were patentable.
• Federal Circuit Affirms District Court Decision Blocking Poultry Chiller Patent Suit Due to Equitable Intervening Rights – For the first time, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit addressed the “boundaries of the phrase ‘protection of investments’ in [35 U.S.C.] § 252”, which outlines the effect of reissued patents.

Here’s the latest.

• 2G or Not 2G: Patent License Applies to Future Generation Wireless Networks – Despite Evolved Wireless’s efforts to limit a licensing agreement for a cellular network patent to 3G Networks, the Federal Circuit affirmed the lower court’s decision to give “generation” a broad construction.
• Apple, AT&T, Verizon Keep Patent Validity Suits in California – VoIP-Pal.com was unable to convince the Federal Circuit to issue a writ of mandamus directing the Northern District of California to transfer its cases to the Western District of Texas.
• Federal Circuit Says PTAB Wrongly Upheld Cancer Detection Patent – The Federal Circuit overruled the PTAB’s finding of no invalidity of Melanoscan’s patent in Canfield Scientific, Inc. v. Melanoscan, LLC.

Here’s the latest.

• Federal Circuit Rules PTAB Erred on Successor-in-Interest Issue in Crocs Case – The Federal Circuit granted a motion to substitute in a case involving a design patent infringement issue between Mojave Desert Holdings, LLC and Crocs, Inc. (Crocs).
• Apple Asks To Postpone March Patent Trial Due To COVID-19 – Apple requested that the Federal Circuit postpone its patent trial to later in 2021 when the trial participants will have had a chance to be vaccinated.

Here’s the latest.

• Federal Circuit Affirms Government’s E-Passport Patent Win – The United States’s e-passport technology was found to have not infringed Iris Corporation Berhad’s patent in a ruling issued by the Federal Circuit
• Federal Circuit Judge ‘Baffled’ By Mylan Position In PTAB Appeal – Judge Moore expressed her confusion at the prospect of Mylan’s attorney not requesting mandamus relief during oral arguments on Friday.
• Federal Circuit Affirms District Court Finding that Fax/Scanner Patent Claims Are Indefinite – In Infinity Computer Products, Inc. v. Oki Data Americas, Inc., the Federal Circuit affirmed the lower court’s finding of indefiniteness for Infinity’s fax/scanner patent.

Here’s the latest.

• What’s Eligible for a Patent? The Section 101 Muddle Explained – Perry Cooper describes the uncertainty and confusion surrounding patent eligibility under Section 101 and highlights the Supreme Court’s upcoming opportunities to provide clarity after Alice.
• Fed. Circ. Agrees Fax Machine Patents Are Indefinite – The Federal Circuit found that two terms in the patent claim language failed to provide reasonable certainty of the terms’ scope and thus the patents were deemed invalid for indefiniteness.
• Afghan’s Land Takings Claim Against U.S. Army Rejected on Appeal – The Federal Circuit affirmed the U.S. Court of Federal Claims’ dismissal of a suit after an Afghan citizen failed to prove ownership of a property that he claimed the U.S. Army unjustly took from him when the U.S. Army constructed Combat Outpost Millet in 2010.

Here’s the latest.

• Deere Loses Patent Challenge at Federal Circuit – The Federal Circuit rejected Deere & Co.’s attempt to invalidate a patent over combine crop harvester technology as a misrepresentation of the PTAB’s decision.
• Federal Circuit Unlikely To Nix Apple’s Win In Memory Patent Case – Qualcomm met resistance when arguing before the Federal Circuit that the PTAB did not construe a key term in invalidating Qualcomm’s patent.

Here’s the latest.