The Federal Circuit held that patents covering data management systems that use cryptographic hash functions to generate content-based identifiers are directed to abstract mathematical concepts and ineligible under § 101.
The Federal Circuit held that a generic drug company can be liable for inducing infringement of a brand-name patent even when it used a “skinny label” carving out the patented indication, affirming a $235 million jury verdict against Teva.
The Federal Circuit held that a corporate affiliate’s physical stores in a district cannot establish patent venue for related web-only entities that have no employees, offices, or physical presence there.
The Federal Circuit held that a university employment agreement providing that patents “shall be the property” of the university is a statement of future intent, not an automatic present assignment, and therefore did not strip the inventor of standing to sue.
The Federal Circuit vacated PTAB decisions in Qualcomm’s IPR proceedings against Qualcomm patents, holding that the Board’s sua sponte adoption of a new claim construction — without giving the parties an opportunity to address it — violated the Administrative Procedure Act and due process.
The Federal Circuit reversed PTAB obviousness findings, clarifying that prior art references that merely warn of tradeoffs do not categorically teach away from a claimed invention, and that commercial success nexus cannot be assessed element-by-element.
The Federal Circuit granted mandamus and ordered transfer out of the Western District of Texas, holding that courts must disregard a plaintiff’s transparent pre-litigation scheme to manufacture venue by assigning limited patent rights to a newly-formed affiliate days before filing suit.
The Federal Circuit affirmed that Yu’s patent on a digital camera using two lenses and two image sensors to produce an enhanced digital image was patent-ineligible under § 101 — holding the claims were directed to the abstract idea of ‘taking two pictures and using one to enhance the oth
The Federal Circuit affirmed that an applicant’s clear statements during prosecution disclaiming hierarchical category relationships narrowed the claim scope, and that later prosecution statements could not be used to walk back that unambiguous disavowal.
The Federal Circuit held for the first time that the USPTO can assert prosecution laches as a defense in a § 145 civil action, blocking Gilbert Hyatt’s decades-delayed patent applications from issuing based on his unreasonable and prejudicial delays.