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Patent Lawyer Blog

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District Court Denies Motion for Leave to Amend Answer to Assert Affirmative Defense of Patent Misuse

The defendants in this patent infringement action filed several motions for leave to amend their answers to include various affirmative defenses, including: (1) the affirmative defense of patent misuse; (2) the affirmative defense of inequitable conduct; (3) a counterclaim for declaratory judgment of non-infringement; and (4) a counterclaim for declaratory…

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District Court Denies Motion for Leave to File Summary Judgment as Premature Prior to Claim Constructio

Rec Software USA, Inc. (“Rec”) filed a patent infringement action against HTC America, Inc. (“HTC”). HTC requested leave to file a motion for summary judgment based on 35 U.S.C. §101. The request for leave to file the summary judgment motion occurred prior to claim construction proceedings. HTC argued that the…

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District Court Lifts Stay After Covered Business Method Review Is Dismissed Because Federal Circuit Would Not Have Jurisdiction to Hear Appeal of Dismissal

Plaintiff GT Nexus, Inc. (“GT Nexus”) filed a declaratory judgment action against Inttra, Inc. (“Inttra”) seeking a declaration that four of Inttra’s patents (“patents-in-suit”) were invalid and have not been infringed. Inttra filed counterclaims against GT Nexus for infringement of the patents-in-suit. The district court had previously stayed the action…

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District Court Grants Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Standing on the Eve of Trial

Plaintiff Labyrinth Optical Technologies LLC (“Labyrinth”) filed a patent infringement action against Defendant Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (“Lucent”), alleging that Lucent infringes U.S. Patent No. 8,103,173 (the “‘173 Patent”). On the eve of trial, Lucent filed a motion to dismiss the case for lack of standing, arguing that Labyrinth could not…

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District Court Denies Unopposed Request to Seal Exhibits Where Only Justification for Sealing Was That Parties Designated the Documents Confidential under the Protective Order

Defendant Ericsson filed an unopposed motion for leave to file its motion to strike certain paragraphs of a supplemental expert report for the plaintiff under seal. Although the request was unopposed, the district court evaluated whether it was appropriate to seal the motion and accompanying exhibits. In the motion, Ericsson…

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Expert Is Not Permitted to Testify to Alternate Hypothetical Negotiation Dates Where No Hypothetical Negotiation Was Conducted for those Alternate Dates

After the parties submitted expert reports in this patent infringement action, Ford objected to Eagle Harbor’s damage expert’s expected testimony and demonstratives. Ford objected to Eagle Harbor’s evidence because it involved multiple dates of possible infringement and the damage expert only calculated his royalty rate based on one possible date…

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Patent Misuse and Patent Exhaustion Asserted as Stand Alone Claims Dismissed for Failure to State a Claim

Continental Automotive GmbH and Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (collectively “Continental”) filed a multi-claim lawsuit against iBiquity Digital Corporation (“iBiquity”), which asserted causes of action for patent exhaustion (Count I), patent misuse (Count II), declaratory judgment of patent rights (Count III), as well as several state law claims. iBiquity moved to…

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District Court Denies Motion to Stay Pending Ex Parte Reexamination Where Defendant Was Competitor of Plaintiff and Chose Ex Parte Reexamination over Inter Partes Reexamination

Plaintiff Ecolab Inc. (“Ecolab”) filed a patent infringement action alleging that Gurtler infringed Ecolab’s patent for “SANITIZING LAUNDRY SOUR,” United States Patent No. 6,262,013 (the “‘013 Patent”). Gurtler subsequently filed a Request for Ex Parte Reexamination of the ‘013 Patent. Gurtler then filed a motion to stay and the United…

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District Court Denies Motion to Stay Pending Ex parte Reexamination Where Defendant Was Competitor of Plaintiff and Chose Ex Parte Reexamination over Inter Partes Reexamination

Plaintiff Ecolab Inc. (“Ecolab”) filed a patent infringement action alleging that Gurtler infringed Ecolab’s patent for “SANITIZING LAUNDRY SOUR,” United States Patent No. 6,262,013 (the “‘013 Patent”). Gurtler subsequently filed a Request for Ex Parte Reexamination of the ‘013 Patent. Gurtler then filed a motion to stay and the United…

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District Court Agrees to Stay Action Pending Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) But Only if Defendants Agreed to Be Bound by Estoppel Provisions Even if They Withdraw from the IPR

After the defendants moved to stay a patent infringement action pending an IPR, the district court analyzed the impact of a potential withdrawal of petitioners from the IPR. The district court began its analysis with the understanding that this was a contingency that might not occur. “The contingency of a…

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