PCK-Reporter

April 22, 2016

Gilead Successfully Invalidates Patent Jeopardizing Its Sovaldi Product

2015 FC 1156 - The FC found that Idenix’s patent was invalid for a lack of utility, demonstrated or soundly predicted, and for insufficient disclosure.
April 12, 2016

FC Discourages Questions Taken “Under Advisement” in Examinations

2015 FC 391 - The Federal Court recognized the increasing and improper use of the phrase "under advisement" in response to questions on examination for discovery.
April 11, 2016

FC Dismisses Prohibition Application – Favours Respondent’s “Blinded Expert” Evidence

2015 FC 570 - The FC favoured the respondent’s "blinded expert" evidence in which the experts provided their opinions before knowing what was claimed in the disputed patents.
April 5, 2016

Strike Two: Second Prohibition Application Regarding Mylan’s Proposed Tadalafil Tablets Denied

2015 FC 125 - The existing patent was invalid on the grounds of lack of utility for having made a promise of utility that could not be demonstrated nor soundly predicted, was anticipated by a previous patent of the applicant that claimed an overlapping dosage range, and was also therefore made obvious by the same previous patent.
March 30, 2016

FCA Nods To SCOTUS, Recommends The Use Of The Clear Error Standard Of Review In Claim Construction Where Expert Evidence Plays A Significant Role

2015 FCA 116 - The FCA advised that where expert evidence plays a significant role, claim construction might involve subsidiary factual disputes reviewed on a palpable and overriding error standard, which is equivalent to the United States clear error standard.
March 28, 2016

Utility For A Pharmaceutical Patent Must Relate To How It Is Used, Not Simply to Its Properties

PAB 1384 - If a pharmaceutical patent is construed to make a promise, then that promise must relate to how the invention will ultimately be used – not simply to the properties of the pharmaceutical itself.
February 26, 2016

Provisional Patent Application Contradicts Formal Patent, Invalidates Claims for Indefiniteness

The CAFC took issue with inconsistent statements between a provisional patent application and the subsequent formal patent and invalidated a number of the patent’s claims for being indefinite.
February 22, 2016

Intellectual Property Services Buyer’s Guide

There are a lot of IP service providers out there. In this post I attempt to provide some guidelines for helping companies to assess IP counsel and choose the right one.
February 17, 2016

Data Protection Provisions Block Post-Filing NDS Amendments for Generic Drug

2015 FC 1205 - A quirk in the PM(NOC) rules was resolved that could make the entry of generics into the market even slower if the generic tries to make post-filing amendments to its application.
February 10, 2016

FCA Endorses Non-Infringing Alternatives as a Relevant to Patent Damages

2015 FCA 171 - The FCA determined that it is relevant to damages whether the infringer had a non-infringing alternative that it could have used.
February 10, 2016

FCA Upholds Claim-by-Claim Construction and Test for Functionality in Industrial Designs

2015 FCA 115 - The FCA restated the law on functionality of industrial designs and the requirement that patent claims be construed on a claim-by-claim basis.
November 30, 2015

FCA: Generic pharmaceuticals also subject to price regulation

2015 FCA 249 - The Federal Court of Appeal clearly stated that the price regulation provisions apply not only to literal patent holders, but also to exclusive licensees of patents.
November 23, 2015

CAFC to Rehear On-Sale Bar Novelty Case

The CAFC has now granted a petition for a rehearing the case on this issue of whether or not the sale of bivalirudin from the supplier gave rise to an on-sale bar.
November 20, 2015

TPP IP Chapter – Highlights for the Canadian Tech Companies

Broadly speaking, the TPP calls for two things: greater international cooperation and efficiency, and strengthening intellectual property rights across its 12 member states
November 16, 2015

Federal Court Skirts Provincial Property Law and Transfers Patent Ownership

Imperial Oil Resources Ltd v Exxonmobil Upstream, 2015 FC 1218 - The Federal Court has finally stated outright that it has the jurisdiction to vary patent ownership without encroaching upon the realm of provincial contract law.
November 6, 2015

USPTO Design Patent Fee 48% Increase

The USPTO is proposing a 48% increase in government fees to obtain a design patent.
October 7, 2015

Relitigating Conceded Claims is an Abuse of PM(NOC) Proceedings

Gilead Sciences, Inc v Canada (Health), 2015 FC 610 - Gilead's assertion that its patent is valid would be relitigating old issues and an abuse of PM(NOC) proceedings.
October 6, 2015

FCA Nudges SCC to Consider that Claim Construction should be Reviewed on Reasonableness Standard

Abb Technology AG, ABB Inc v Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, Ltd, 2015 FCA 181 - The FCA suggested that although claim construction is reviewed on a correctness standard, claim construction is so heavily reliant on expert witnesses that perhaps it should be reviewed on a palpable and overriding error standard.
October 2, 2015

United States adopts Divided Infringement Test

Akamai Technologies, Inc, v Limelight Networks, Inc, 09-1372 - The CAFC held that where more than one actor is involved in infringing the steps in a patent, one of the actors can be held liable for the entirety of the infringement if that actor “directs or controls the other’s performance.”
September 30, 2015

ONSC Takes On US Patent Claim Construction

OrthoArm Incorporated v GAC International, LLC, 2015 ONSC 5097 - The ONSC was to undertake the analysis that would normally be done at a Markman hearing: to perform claim construction on the US patent and apply that construction to determine whether there is infringement.