Recently the House Judiciary Committee voted 24-8 to approve a revised version of the Innovation Act. As we previously discussed, the Innovation Act was re-introduced in the House earlier this year in the same form approved by the entire House at the end of 2013. The Judiciary Committee recently met to mark-up and
Litigation
Federal judge permits MPHJ’s suit challenging Vermont’s bad faith patent demand letter law to proceed
We previously discussed the Vermont attorney general’s enforcement action against MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, a non-practicing entity that has recently been the subject of regulatory scrutiny. The attorney general’s complaint, filed in Vermont state court in early May of 2013, alleges that MPHJ’s patent assertion conduct directed toward Vermonters violates the state’s Consumer Protection…
En Banc Federal Circuit broadens what constitutes a means-plus-function limitation (Williamson v. Citrix)
Yesterday, the Federal Circuit issued a decision in Williamson v. Citrix that includes an en banc portion that broadens the circumstances in which claim limitations may be deemed means-plus-function limitations. This appears to be an effort by the court to address concerns that some patent claims directed to computer-implemented or software inventions may be too…
ZTE enjoined from further breaching NDA entered for settlement discussions (Vringo v. ZTE)
Judge Kaplan of S.D. New York recently issued a preliminary injunction to enjoin ZTE from further disclosing information subject to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) that ZTE had entered with Vringo to potentially settle worldwide patent litigation between them that concern FRAND-obligated standard essential patents that Vringo had purchased from Nokia. This is an interesting case…
Supreme Court rules belief that patent is invalid is not a defense to induced infringement (Commil v. Cisco)
Today, in Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an accused infringer’s good faith belief that a patent is invalid is not a defense to induced infringement, reversing the Federal Circuit on that issue (see our June 25, 2013 post on the Federal Circuit’s decision). The Court also…
Patent Case: Federal Circuit provides guidance on direct infringement (Akamai v. Limelight)
Today, a Federal Circuit panel, Judges Prost, Linn (author) and Moore (dissent), issued its long-awaited decision in the Akamia v. Limelight case following remand from the Supreme Court to consider the issue of multiple-actor direct infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 271(a) (see our June 2, 2014 post). The panel again found that there was…
PUBLIC VERSION of Judge Essex ITC Decision that Nokia phones infringe InterDigital’s 3GPP patents (337-TA-613)
Following the prior notice of decision (see our Apr. 27, 2015 post), the Public Version is now available of Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Essex’s Initial Determination On Remand that Nokia mobile phones infringe InterDigital’s patents related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard and that are subject to commitments the patent owner made…
Delaware jury finds that ZTE did not infringe one of InterDigital’s 4G network patents
Yesterday, a federal jury in Delaware concluded that ZTE’s accused 4G mobile devices did not infringe InterDigital’s U.S. Patent No. 7,941,151 (“the ‘151 Patent”). This jury verdict comes a little less than six months after a different jury concluded that ZTE’s accused 4G mobile devices infringe three separate patents asserted by InterDigital in the case.…
Online video of Ninth Circuit argument of appeal from Judge Robart decision in Microsoft v. Motorola
As discussed in our post yesterday, today the Ninth Circuit held oral argument on Motorola’s appeal of Judge Robart’s decision in the Microsoft v. Motorola case. A video of the argument is available at the Ninth Circuit website, which lasts about an hour. Trying to predict the outcome of a case based on…
Ninth Circuit to hear oral argument on Motorola’s appeal of Judge Robart’s ruling (Microsoft v. Motorola)
Tomorrow, the Ninth Circuit will hear oral argument in Motorola’s appeal of Judge Robart’s RAND royalty rate determination as well as the jury verdict that Motorola breached its alleged RAND obligations to license its patents to Microsoft on RAND terms. Motorola also challenges whether the Ninth Circuit has jurisdiction over the appeal, arguing that exclusive…
