FedCircuitBlog

• Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Steel Tariffs – The Supreme Court cemented the Trump administration’s victory over steel and aluminum importers by denying cert for American Institute for International Steel, Inc. v. United States.
• Cert Denied in Rovi-Comcast ITC Dispute – The Supreme Court also upheld the International Trade Commission’s ruling against Comcast by denying Comcast Corp. v. International Trade Commission.
• Federal Circuit Backs Ford’s Design Patent Win – Ford wins big in automotive patent infringement case upholding the lower court’s decision in Ford Global Technologies, LLC v. New World International, Inc.

Here’s the latest.

• Dropbox’s Claims Covered Only Abstract Ideas – The Federal Circuit dismissed all three patent infringement claims against Synchronoss.
• Spinco’s Petition for Mandamus Denied – First-filed status is not yet determined by which court first secures personal jurisdiction over the parties.
• Federal Circuit Adopts New Amendment to the Federal Rules of Practice – After a period of public comment, the court has adopted new amendments to the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice and Federal Circuit Attorney Discipline Rules.

Here’s the latest.

• New Suits Against Amazon Barred Under Claim Preclusion – Relying on a 1907 decision, the Federal Circuit bars suits against Amazon’s customers.
• Supreme Court Will Not Hear Eli Lilly Patent Appeal – This week, the Supreme Court denied two petitions both relating to a chemotherapy treatment for lung cancer.
• Federal Circuit Upholds Dumping Duties – Chinese solar cell companies were kept accountable for dumping thanks to a recent Federal Circuit ruling.

Here’s the latest.

• Patent Lawsuits on the Rise – Even with the disruption due to the coronavirus, patent lawsuits are up 9% year-over-year.
• Google and Sonos at odds over Wireless Speakers Fight – Google countersued Sonos over an alleged patent infringement in an escalating legal battle between the two companies.
• Federal Circuit finds no infringement in an Interactive Guitar Game– The court in Ubisoft Entertainment, S.A. v. Yousician Oy, affirmed the dismissal of Yousician’s claims of infringement because the claimed invention was improperly directed to an abstract idea.

Here’s the latest.

• Federal Circuit Sidesteps Notice Issue – In Iron Oak Technologies LLC v. Microsoft Corporation, the Federal Circuit limited its decision regarding notice only to Microsoft and refused to decide whether manufacturers related to Microsoft received sufficient infringement notice.
• District Court Abused Its Discretion in Granting Attorney’s Fees – An award of attorney’s fees in Munchkin, Inc. v. Luv n’ Care, Ltd. was reversed by the Federal Circuit for failing to prove infringement claims were “sufficiently meritless.”
• Chrimar Systems v. ALE USA Inc. – Charimar Systems seeks Supreme Court review of the Federal Circuit’s decision in Chrimar Systems, Inc. v. ALE USA Inc.

Here’s the latest.

• Federal Circuit Cancels Arguments Due to Building Inaccessibility – The Federal Circuit will be closed to the public and staff through at least June 7 to accommodate for the ongoing protests.
• Section 285 Attorney’s Fees Not Available for Pure Inter Partes Review – The Federal Circuit left open the question of whether fees can be awarded in connection with an IPR proceeding that was parallel to a district court action.
• Federal Circuit Affirms Noninfringement and Invalidity Judgments Against Designer of Chalk Holders – The court found that a company’s toy chalk holders, resembling No. 2 pencils, did not to infringe a design patent.

• Federal Circuit Clerk’s Office Inaccessible Amidst Protests – Due to mass protests in Washington, D.C., the Federal Circuit clerk’s office was inaccessible for both Monday and Tuesday of this week.
• ‘Pump And Dump’ Victims To Recoup Losses – The Federal Circuit reversed the lower court’s decision in Adkins v. U.S. allowing “pump and dump” victims to recoup a two million dollar loss.
• Party May Have Standing with Incorrect Patent Assignment – In Schwendimann v. Arkwright Advanced Coating, Inc., the Federal Circuit found a reformation to an incorrect assignment does not deprive a plaintiff of Article III standing.

Here’s the latest.

• USTPO Extends Patent and Trademark Deadlines – Due to COVID-19, the USPTO extends the time period to file patent and trademark related documents and provides waivers for certain fees.
• Patent Eligibility Turns on the Content and Not the Length of the Claim – The Federal Circuit emphasized, in Elec. Commc’n Techs., LLC v. ShoppersChoice.com, LLC, the importance of the content of a patent claim over its length in determining eligibility.
• Opinions Vary On Whether the USTPO May Make New Laws Without the Rule-making Process – The issue of whether the USPTO may properly make law using its procedural and POP process or whether the rules may only be made under the APA process is yet to be decided. 

Here’s the latest.

• Judge Lourie Wins 2020 American Inns of Court Award – The American Inns of Court selected Judge Alan D. Lourie as the winner of the 2020 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Federal Circuit.
• Prior Art-Based Invalidity Analysis Possible for Indefinite Claim – The Federal Circuit declined to find a claim with a means-plus-function element unpatentable because prior art analysis could still be possible when the means-plus-function element is used as an alternative structure to a non-means-plus-function structure.
• True Colors Shining Through – The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in In re Forney Industries, Inc. may provide a new framework for creating product packaging that can be protected by trademark law.

Here’s the latest.

• A Patent Emergency – A new Supreme Court petition declared that the Federal Circuit’s interpretation of patent eligibility law is a “patent emergency”.
• Federal Circuit OKs Do-Over in Apple Decryption Case – In light of Arthrex, the Federal Circuit remanded a case for a new hearing before different PTAB judges.
• Federal Circuit Dismisses Challenges to Nonfinal Patent Office decision – The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s lack of jurisdiction.

Here’s the latest.