Patent Law Practice Center

Patentee’s Arguments in Reexamination Create Intervening Rights Erasing $29.4 Million Verdict

Scott Daniels, Partner at Westerman, Hattori, Daniels & Adrian and Practice Center Contributor, sent in this article discussing Tuesday’s CAFC decision in the Marine Polymer Techs. v. HemCon case. In a decision that seems to encourage reexamination, the Court held that “intervening rights” apply to unamended claims based on statements made during reexamination.  Daniels discusses the history of the case and highlights the key points of the CAFC decision.

The CAFC panel decision [Tuesday] in Marine Polymer Techs. v. HemCon will do more to popularize reexamination than all the proselytizing by all the reexamination lawyers and bloggers ever could.  The Court held that an argument made by the patentee traversing a rejection in reexamination constituted a disclaimer of patented subject matter; this disclaimer triggered absolute intervening rights for the accused infringer under 35 U.S.C. §§ 252 and 307(b), thereby eliminating all damages for the period before the issuance of the reexamination certificate.  The Court also suggested that the accused infringer might also be protected by equitable intervening rights for the period after issuance of the reexamination certificate and sent the case back to the trial court for further fact-finding. (more…)

Reissue & Reexam Live Blog: Ethical Considerations

The last panel of the day – Ethical Considerations in Reissues and Reexaminations. The panel includes Gerald Murphy, Jr., Partner at Birch Stewart Kolasch & Birch and Practice Center Contributor, and Barbara Mullin of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.  Here are some highlights from the panel:

• Reissue and Reexam overlap where the error is overly broad claiming in view of prior art.  If patentee becomes aware of prior art that does not invalidate the claims but does raise a substantial new question of patentability and there are no other errors in the patent that render it wholly or partly inoperative or invalid, only option is ex parte reexam.  If patentee can identify another error in addition to new prior art, Reissue becomes available. 
• Both Reissue and Reexam can give rise to charges of inequitable conduct.
• Patents being reissued and reexamined may present unique issues because: they are often very important, the amount of available “information” potentially material to patentability might be much greater than the information available during the original prosecution, and/or parallel litigation is not unusual. (more…)

Live Blog: PLI’s Reissue & Reexamination Strategies & Tactics With Concurrent Litigation

PLI’s Reissue and Reexamination Strategies and Tactics with Concurrent Litigation kicked off this morning.  First up is Todd Baker of Oblon Spivak.  In his Reissue overview, Baker explains that common bases for filing a reissue application include: the original patent claims are too narrow or too broad, the disclosure contains inaccuracies, the applicant failed to assert or incorrectly asserted foreign priority, and/or the applicant failed to make reference to, or incorrectly made reference to, prior co-pending applications.  In his overview of Ex Parte Reexam, Baker explains ex parte reexams can be initiated by patent owner, third parties (may remain anonymous); or Director. He says requests must be based on prior art patents and printed publications; requests cannot be based on public use, sale priority of invention or derivation; and claims many not be broadened in any request.  He explains that reexamination of patent claims will result in targeted claims being cancelled; narrowed; or confirmed.  Baker went on to discuss pitfalls to avoid both in Reissue and Ex Parte Reexam.

Pitfalls to avoid in Reissue (oath):

1. The error must be specific.  Insufficient for oath to merely state: “this application is being filed to correct errors in the patent which may be noted from the changes made in the disclosure.”
2. Insufficient to merely reproduce the amended claims and assert that the error is evident from the amendment
3. Any error in the claims must be identified by reference to the specific claim(s) and the specific claim language wherein lies the error.
4. Preparing oath not a ministerial act
5. Adding a dependent claim to hedge against possible invalidity of original claims does not constitute an error correctible by reissue. Ex parte Tanaka
6. If the basis of the error is claiming more than the patentee was entitled to, then an original patent claim must be narrowed to satisfy s 251. (more…)