Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

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

IP News

By Jeffrey Ginsberg and Matthew Weiss
May 01, 2021

Federal Circuit: The Doctrine of Equivalents Is Not a Binary Choice

On March 9, 2021, a Federal Circuit panel of Judges Newman, Moore, and Hughes issued a unanimous opinion, authored by Judge Moore, in Edgewell Personal Care Brands, LLC v. Munchkin, Inc., Case No. 2020-1203. The panel vacated the Central District of California's grant of summary judgment of noninfringement on one patent, reversed the judgment of noninfringement of a second patent, and remanded for further proceedings. Slip Op. at 13.

Edgewell Personal Care Brands, LLC and International Refills Company, Ltd. (Edgewell) sued Munchkin, Inc. (Munchkin) for infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 8,899,420 (the '420 Patent) and 6,974,029 (the '029 Patent). Both the '420 and '029 patents are directed to improved cassette designs for Edgewell's Diaper Genie product, "which is a diaper pail system that has … (i) a pail for collection of soiled diapers; and (ii) a replaceable cassette that is placed inside the pail and forms a wrapper around the soiled diapers." Id. at 2. The accused products, "Munchkin's Second and Third Generation refill cassettes" were "marketed as being compatible with Edgewell's Diaper Genie" products. Id.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance 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
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

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.

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.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.