Loss of Right Provisions

Transcription

1 Lss f Right Prvisins Class Ntes: January 28, 2003 Law 677 Patent Law Spring 2003 Prfessr Wagner

2 Tday s s Agenda 1. Wrap up Inventrship 2. Lss f Right Prvisins a) Prir Public Use b) Experimental Use c) On-Sale Bar d) Third-Party Activity 2

3 Inventrship 35 U.S.C Inventrs When an inventin is made by tw r mre persns jintly, they shall apply fr patent jintly and each make the required ath, except as therwise prvided in this title. Inventrs may apply fr a patent jintly even thugh (1) they did nt physically wrk tgether r at the same time, (2) each did nt make the same type r amunt f cntributin, r (3) each did nt make a cntributin t the subject matter f every claim f the patent. 3

4 Inventrship Hyp: Patent 123 has 120 claims. A is the sle wrker n 119 claims; B suggests an imprvement that makes it as Claim 120. Wh wns the patent? B grants an exclusive license t Cmpany X t the 123 patent, and keeps the $$ fr herself. Prblem? 4

5 Inventrship Hyp 2: Patent 123 was filed withut naming Inventr B. 1. What needs t happen? Hw des it wrk? 35 USC 116 (PTO can fix); 35 USC 256 (Curt can fix) 2. Cmpany X, charged with infringement, gets a license frm B. What happens? See Ethicn, p Assume A deliberately filed withut B s knwledge. What happens? 35 USC 116/256: whenever thrugh errr a persn is named in an applicatin fr patent as the inventr, r thrugh errr an inventr is nt named in an applicatin, and such errr arse withut any deceptive intentin n his part, the Cmmissiner may permit the applicatin t be amended accrdingly, under such terms as he prescribes. 5

6 The Standards fr Patentability A valid patent must be... Fully and apprpriately described ( ( 112) In cmpliance with statutry bars ( 102) Nvel ( 102) Nnbvius ( 103) The wrk f the inventrs ( 116) Useful ( 101) Within the apprpriate subject matter ( 101) 6

7 Prir Public Use 35 U.S.C Cnditins fr patentability; nvelty and lss f right t patent A persn shall be entitled t a patent unless - (b) the inventin was patented r described in a printed publicatin in this r a freign cuntry r in public use r n sale in this cuntry, mre than ne year prir t the date f the applicatin fr patent in the United States... 7

8 Prir Public Use Egbert v Lippmann (1882) 1. First step: find the critical date Filing date: July 17, 1866 Critical date: July 17, 1864 (nte: tw years then) 2. Next, determine whether use was public Hw many articles must be used? Hw many persns must be in the knw? What if the inventin is hidden? 3. What pint des the dissent make abut the meaning f public? (Why is this linked t the gal f the prir public use bar?) 8

9 Prir Public Use Metallizing Engineering C. (2nd Cir. 1946) Find the critical date. August 6, 1941 Key questin: are these public uses? 1. Machine kept secret, utput sld freely 2. Third persn (nt inventr) used machine secretly, sld utput 3. Inventr cnstructed mdels, played arund with them, shwed them t visitrs/friends Nte the distinctin: a) Inventr s attempt t extend cmmercial life f patent (public use bar) b) Whether the inventin is really new (anticipatin analysis) When is a prir use nt public? N cmmercial explitatin Private / under the inventr s cntrl Experimental 9

10 Experimental Use City f Elizabeth (1878) Why nt a prir public use? (Aren t the cmpnents present?) What factrs lead the curt t believe the use is experimental? Lugh v Brunswick (Fed. Cir. 1996) (Lurie) What factrs lead the curt t believe the use is nt experimental? (Nte the dissent s respnse.) Prcedural nte: What did the jury decide? Implicatins? Bttm line: What are the minimal indicia? Wh bears the burden f prf? 10

11 On Sale Bar 35 U.S.C Cnditins fr patentability; nvelty and lss f right t patent A persn shall be entitled t a patent unless - (b) the inventin was patented r described in a printed publicatin in this r a freign cuntry r in public use r n sale in this cuntry, mre than ne year prir t the date f the applicatin fr patent in the United States... 11

12 Pfaff v Wells (1998) On Sale Bar Key: what state f the inventin will trigger an nsale bar? 12

13 On Sale Bar Pfaff (cntinued) What is required t shw ready fr patenting? 1. Drawings r descriptins 2. Sufficient t enable Hw is this different than cnceptin? Can yu avid the n sale bar with a claim f experimental use? What is an ffer fr sale? What must be ffered? Bttm Line: t trigger an n sale bar 1. Activity prir t critical date 2. Cmmercial ffer fr sale f the inventin 3. Inventin must be ready fr patenting at time f ffer 13

14 Third-Party Activity Lrenz v Clgate-Palmlive (3rd Cir. 1948) Des the prir public use bar allw fr exceptins in the case f fraud r ther bad behavir? Baxter Int l l v COBE labs (Fed. Cir. 1996) (Lurie) What if a 3rd party reduces the inventin t practice / uses it? In Baxter, wasn t S s use experimental? Why nt? (Hw d yu tell whether a use is experimental?) Nte: 3rd party prir use (even secret )) applies t the n sale bar as well. 14

15 Next Class [ Mnday, February 3, 1:30-2:50 ] The Nvelty Requirement I The Date f Inventin Anticipatin "Knwn r Used" "Patented r Described in a Printed Publicatin" Secret Prir Art 15