Post-<i>Phillips</i>: Will The Trial Courts Receive More Deference in Patent Cases?

The most important question in every patent case is "what do the claims mean?" The district court answers this question in its claim construction ruling. Presently, every aspect of a district court's claim construction is reviewed <i>de novo</i> by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. <br>The problem of <i>de novo</i> review is tied to the nature of patent claims themselves. Patent claims, the series of numbered paragraphs at the conclusion of the patent, define the scope of the patent owner's rights. Yet, because of the technical nature of inventions, the determination of the scope of rights is not easily made.

14 minute read October 03, 2005 at 04:21 PM
By
David H. Bluestone
Post-<i>Phillips</i>: Will The Trial Courts Receive More Deference in Patent Cases?

The most important question in every patent case is “what do the claims mean?” The district court answers this question in its claim construction ruling. Presently, every aspect of a district court's claim construction is reviewed de novo by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

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