Author Archives: wpadmin

New 35 U.S.C. §298 Limits the Effect of an Accused Infringer’s Failure to Obtain or Present Advice of Counsel

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New 35 U.S.C. §298 provides:

The failure of an infringer to obtain the advice of counsel with respect to any allegedly infringed patent, or the failure of the infringer to present such advice to the court or jury, may not be used to prove that the accused infringer willfully infringed the patent or that the infringer intended to induce infringement of the patent.

There is no specific effective date for this section, so it takes effect on September 16, 2012.

The statute merely prevents the failure to obtain an opinion of counsel or the failure to present an opinion of counsel to prove willful infrnigement or to prove inducement.  It does not prevent the introduction for other purposes, for example to show that increased damages or attorneys fees should be awarded after a finding of willfulness has been made.  Having a favorable opinion of counsel can also be valuable, because it can be introduced to show the absense of willfulness or the absence of inducement.  Furthermore the process of obtaining the opinion may result in changes that reduce the risk of an infringement claim in the first place.

 

 

New 35 U.S.C. §102 Implements a First-to-File-or-Disclose System in the U.S.

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New 35 U.S.C. §102, which will apply to applications claiming subject matter first diclosed in application filed on or after March 16, 2013, provides:

Sec. 102. Conditions for patentability; novelty

(a)    Novelty; Prior Art- A person shall be entitled to a patent unless—

1.    the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention; or

2.    the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.

(b)    Exceptions-

1.    DISCLOSURES MADE 1 YEAR OR LESS BEFORE THE EFFECTIVE FILING DATE OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION- A disclosure made 1 year or less before the effective filing date of a claimed invention shall not be prior art to the claimed invention under subsection (a)(1) if—

A.    the disclosure was made by the inventor or joint inventor or by another who obtained the subject matter disclosed directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor; or

B.    the subject matter disclosed had, before such disclosure, been publicly disclosed by the inventor or a joint inventor or another who obtained the subject matter disclosed directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor.

2.    DISCLOSURES APPEARING IN APPLICATIONS AND PATENTS- A disclosure shall not be prior art to a claimed invention under subsection (a)(2) if–

A.    the subject matter disclosed was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor;

B.    the subject matter disclosed had, before such subject matter was effectively filed under subsection (a)(2), been publicly disclosed by the inventor or a joint inventor or another who obtained the subject matter disclosed directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor; or

C.    the subject matter disclosed and the claimed invention, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, were owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person.

(c)    {CREATE ACT Save for later}

(d)    Patents and Published Applications Effective as Prior Art- For purposes of determining whether a patent or application for patent is prior art to a claimed invention under subsection (a)(2), such patent or application shall be considered to have been effectively filed, with respect to any subject matter described in the patent or application—

1.    if paragraph (2) does not apply, as of the actual filing date of the patent or the application for patent; or

2.    if the patent or application for patent is entitled to claim a right of priority under section 119, 365(a), or 365(b), or to claim the benefit of an earlier filing date under section 120, 121, or 365(c), based upon 1 or more prior filed applications for patent, as of the filing date of the earliest such application that describes the subject matter.