Patent Baristas

With the passage of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) last year, which converted the patent system from a ‘first to invent’ to a ‘first inventor to file’ system. The AIA, signed into law in September 2011, indeed brought significant changes in certain areas. But it did not address the calculation of damages in patent […]

After filing a series of five continuation-in-part (“CIP”) applications, which added new matter , a patent finally issued containing claims covering Abbott’s antibody.  Centocor then relied on the added material as evidence of written description to support later asserted claims. The Federal Circuit poo-poohed the idea saying that PTO guidelines prevent claiming a high affinity, […]

The Federal Circuit recently affirmed that an admission that an accused infringing device practices an industry standard may, without more, be the basis for a finding of infringement.  Fujitsu, LG and Philips v. Netgear, US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (10-1045). Philips asserted claims of U.S. patent no. 4,974,952, Fujitsu asserted claims from […]

In a nonprecidential opionion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal by Biopolymer Engineering (Biothera) as moot after it appealed a District Court order granting summary judgment of noninfringement by Immunocorp and Biotec Pharmacon ASA (Biotec).  Biopolymer Engineering and MIT v. Immunocorp and Biotec Pharmacon ASA (2010-1096). Biothera sued Biotec […]

Eli Lilly lost an appeal from a final judgment of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, finding claims 2, 6, and 7 of U.S. Patent No. 5,464,826 invalid for obviousness-type double patenting over its earlier U.S. Patent No. 4,808,614.  See, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries v. Eli Lilly and Co., United States Court […]

The Jackson Laboratory, a biomedical research institution and repository for laboratory mice, won a summary judgment of no patent infringement against The Central Institute for Experimental Animals (CIEA). CIEA, a non-profit Japanese corporation that develops animal models used for scientific research, alleged that Jackson had infringed U.S. Pat. No. No. 7,145,055 directed to the creation […]

In Ariad v. Eli Lilly & Co., the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit set out a split decision on a case addressing patent validity and enforceability issues where Lilly contends that the asserted claims of US 6,410,516 are invalid for including non-statutory subject matter, for being obtained through inequitable conduct, and are unenforceable […]

A fellow patent attorney (who wishes to remain anonymous) called my attention to a recent decision issued by Judge Sue L. Robinson of the Delaware District Court.  Cancer Research Technology et al. v Barr Laboratories et al., D-Del, Civ. No. 07-457-SLR, January 26, 2010.  Download CRT v Barr. I’m not a district court decision junkie: […]