FedCircuitBlog

This week is Court Week at the Federal Circuit, with hearings starting today. The Federal Circuit is providing access to live audio of each panel scheduled for argument via the Federal Circuit’s YouTube channel. In total, the court will convene 10 panels to consider about 55 cases. Of these 55 cases, the court will hear oral arguments in 39. Of these argued cases, three attracted amicus briefs: two patent cases and one takings case. Here’s what you need to know about these three cases.

This week we are previewing oral arguments scheduled for next week at the Federal Circuit in three cases that attracted amicus briefs. Today we highlight Thaler v. Vidal. Thaler is the developer, user, and owner of DABUS, an artificial intelligence system that created the two inventions at issue without the assistance of a human inventor. In this case, Thaler seeks review of a district court’s grant of summary judgment to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, deciding that “an artificial intelligence machine cannot be an ‘inventor’ under the Patent Act.” This is our argument preview.

This morning the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in a trade case appealed from the Court of International Trade; a nonprecedential opinion in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board; and a nonprecedential order granting a joint motion to voluntarily dismiss an appeal. Here are the introductions to the opinions and text from the order.

Here is this month’s update on activity in cases pending before panels of the Federal Circuit where the cases involve at least one amicus brief. We keep track of these cases in the “Other Cases” section of our blog. Today, with respect to these cases, we highlight three cases with upcoming oral arguments: two patent cases and one takings case. Additionally, there is one patent case with new briefing.

This morning the Federal Circuit released a precedential opinion in a veterans case appealed from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claim; a nonprecedential opinion in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board; and a nonprecedential order granting a motion to voluntarily dismiss an appeal. Here are the introductions to the opinions and text from the order.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued two nonprecedential opinions in patent cases appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Both opinions review findings that claims were obvious. The first opinion affirms the Board, while the second reverses. The court also issued a nonprecedential order dismissing a case. Here are the introductions to the opinions and order.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued two nonprecedential opinions. The first opinion comes in a death benefits case appealed from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The second comes in two consolidated patent cases appealed from the District of Delaware. The court also released four nonprecedential orders. Two of the orders deny petitions for writs of mandamus against, respectively, the Court of Federal Claims and Eastern District of Texas. The third order grants a voluntary dismissal, and the fourth transfers a case to the Second Circuit. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders.

This morning the Federal Circuit released four precedential opinions. The first comes in a government contract case appealed from the Civilian Board of Contract Appeals. The other three come in trade cases appealed from the Court of International Trade. The Federal Circuit also released two nonprecedential opinions, one in a trade case and the other in a patent case. Finally, the court released a nonprecedential order, a Rule 36 judgment, and an erratum. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders.