Patent Litigation

Federal Circuit Remands for Further Proceedings to Determine Whether RPX's Petitions for IPR Were Time Barred For Failing to Identify Its Client As a 'Real Party in Interest'
Federal Circuit Holds that Common Law Tribal Sovereign Immunity Cannot Shield a Patent in IPR Proceedings,br>Federal Circuit Holds that an Unsuccessful IPR Petitioner Must Show 'Concrete Plans' for Future Potentially-Infringing Activity in Order to Demonstrate Article III Standing to Appeal PTAB's IPR Decision

Fans of movies about fictional superheroes are probably familiar with Captain America and his miraculous shield. Recently, however, his shield showed up in a most unlikely place: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The U.S. Supreme Court recently held that a patent owner may recover lost foreign profits for infringement under 35 U.S.C. §271(f)(2). The holding in WesternGeco LLC v. ION Geophysical rejects the Federal Circuit's categorical exclusion of lost profits damages for foreign sales, and expands the potential for increased damages from domestic competitors operating in foreign markets.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a question raised by Helsinn Healthcare: whether, under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) an inventor's sale of an invention to a third party that is obligated to keep the invention confidential qualifies as prior art for purposes of determining the patentability of the invention.

Federal Circuit Holds That Tribal Sovereign Immunity Cannot Be Asserted in IPR Proceedings
Citing 'Steep Burden' on Plaintiffs, Federal Circuit Denies Use of 'Entire Market Value Rule' in Cases Involving Multicomponent Products

In re: HTC Corporation

The Federal Circuit recently addressed motions to transfer and drew a distinction between motions based upon the convenience of parties and witnesses and those for improper venue. It also clarified that the Supreme Court's recent decision in TC Heartland did not supplant the long-standing rule that venue laws do not protect foreign defendants.

A Split Federal Circuit Panel Finds That Petitioner Has Standing to Challenge PTAB's Final Written Decision and That Petitioner Properly Submitted Evidence on Reply
Federal Circuit Rejects Patent Owner's Time-Bar Defense Based on Privity
Federal Circuit Finds That District Court May Rely on a Ground Not Raised by Any Party in Granting a Motion for Summary Judgment of Invalidity

In a 5-4 decision, with four justices dissenting, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's practice of instituting review on only a subset of an inter partes review (IPR) petitioner's validity challenges.