FedCircuitBlog

On March 9, the Federal Circuit issued an order granting petitions for writs of mandamus in In re Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. and In re Hyundai Motor America, patent cases we have been following because they attracted amicus briefs. In the order, the Federal Circuit held that the Western District of Texas committed a clear abuse of discretion “for erroneously interpreting governing law and reaching a patently erroneous result” when that court denied motions to dismiss or transfer. Here is a summary of Federal Circuit’s 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 opinions: the first in an Equal Access to Justice Act case, the second granting petitions seeking writs of mandamus challenging orders of the Western District of Texas regarding transfer motions, and the third in a trademark case. We also highlight a response brief filed in a patent case. Here are the details.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

• an article discussing how “[a] bipartisan group of five U.S. senators have introduced a bill to amend Chapter 28 of Title 35 of the U.S. Code to include language that would combat corrupt Chinese Courts from issuing ‘anti-suit injunctions’”;
• an article reporting on an “exclusive interview with [Judge Kathleen] O’Malley on a video call during her final week on the court”; and
• another article analyzing a recent grant of a writ of mandamus against the Western District of Texas in a patent case.

Here is a report on recent news and commentary related to the Federal Circuit and its cases. Today’s report highlights:

• a blog post discussing how, in a patent case addressing venue, “the Federal Circuit delved into franchise law — holding that independently owned and operated VW/Hyundai car dealerships located in the W.D. Texas do not count as a ‘place of business’ of the car distributors”; and
• an article analyzing how the Federal Circuit recently “affirm[ed] decisions by [the] International Trade Commission [and] patent board” in cases involving computer-chip patents.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued a precedential opinion in a patent case appealed from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, a nonprecedential opinion in an employment case appealed from the Merit Systems Protection Board, and a precedential order granting two petitions for writ of mandamus against the Western District of Texas to dismiss or transfer cases. Finally, the Federal Circuit issued two Rule 36 judgments. Here are the introductions to the opinions and order and links to the Rule 36 judgments.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued two nonprecedential opinions: one in a patent case appealed from a district court and the other in a veteran’s case appealed from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The court also issued two nonprecedential orders denying petitions for writs of mandamus: one regarding a stay of execution of a judgment in a patent case and the other regarding a motion to dismiss or transfer a patent case from the Western District of Texas to the Eastern District of Michigan. Here are the introductions to the opinions and orders.

This morning the Federal Circuit issued five Rule 36 judgments. Here is a list of the judgments.