Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Don't Overlook Nontraditional Defenses in Patent Litigations

By Jonathan S. Caplan and Mark A. Baghdassarian
March 31, 2009

It is a staple in virtually every patent case for defendants to assert defenses of non-infringement, invalidity, and inequitable conduct. While patent litigators appropriately focus on these traditional defenses, there are also nontraditional defenses ' including lack of ownership of the patent-in-suit, judicial estoppel, and unclean hands ' that may be incredibly beneficial to patent defendants. Each of these defenses can quickly, and sometimes more efficiently, end a bitterly contested patent action, either through summary judgment, settlement or, in a best case scenario, voluntary dismissal by the plaintiff-patentee.

So when does it make it sense to devote precious resources (including, of course, the client's money) to these less traditional defenses? Well, more often than you might think. These defenses, along with the factual indicators that often give rise to them, are discussed below.

Read These Next
Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the Office Image

A trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Bit Parts Image

Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights

Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes Image

“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.

Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel Image

'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.