FedCircuitBlog

• 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.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights comments on an oral argument held last week in a patent case, a note on a recent Federal Circuit decision that Federal Reserve Banks may challenge patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, an article about another recent Federal Circuit decision involving multi-color trademarks, and a comment on yet another recent decision by the Federal Circuit in an ongoing patent dispute involving medical devices.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued three precedential opinions in patent cases, one precedential opinion in a trademark case, and one precedential opinion in a Merit Systems Protection Board case. The Federal Circuit also issued three nonprecedential opinions in patent cases, two nonprecedential opinions in Merit System Protection Board cases, and one Rule 36 judgment. Here are the introductions to the opinions and the Rule 36 judgment.