Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

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

Patent Lost Profit Damages and Apportionment

By Amy Proctor and Molly Russell
October 02, 2017

On Sept. 1, 2017, a split Federal Circuit declined to rehear a panel decision in Mentor Graphics Corp. v. EVE-USA, Inc., Nos. 2015-1470, 2015-1554, 2015-1556, a case that could have significant implications for lost profit damages and apportionment.

Mentor Graphics Corp. (Mentor) and a series of Synopsys entities (Synopsys, Inc., Synopsys Emulation and Verification S.A.S., and EVE-USA, Inc. (collectively, Synopsys)) design and sell emulators to Intel that are used to debug hardware description-level code used for semiconductor fabrication. In litigation in the District of Oregon, Mentor asserted several patents relating to its computer emulator technology against Synopsys, and Synopsys asserted two of its emulator patents against Mentor. See, Mentor Graphics Corp., 851 F.3d 1275, 1280-81 (Fed. Cir. 2017). In a trial on Mentor's U.S. Patent No. 6,240,376 (the '376 patent), the jury found infringement and awarded approximately $36 million in lost profits damages. Both parties appealed various summary judgment and post-trial rulings, including the jury's lost profits award. See, id. at 1281-84. Among other things, Synopsys argued that the damages award should be vacated because it was not apportioned. See, id. at 1283.

This premium content is locked for LJN Newsletters subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

Compliance Officers: Recent Regulatory Guidance and Enforcement Actions and Mitigating the Risk of Personal Liability Image

This article explores legal developments over the past year that may impact compliance officer personal liability.

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.