Patent Validity

March 9, 2020
Photograph of an IV drip delivering a pharmaceutical to a patient in a hospital.

Contested Remicade Patent Will Head Back to Court in June

2020 FCA 30; 2020 FCA 31 – Janssen and Celltrion will return to court in June after the FCA overturned a lower court decision regarding a Remicade patent.
October 11, 2019
Close up photo of an automotive hub cap and tire of a car.

Automotive Patent Overturned As “Monstrous” §101 Grows Another Head

CAFC 2018-1763 – In fiercely dissented decision, a top US court has invalidated an automotive patent, further extending the reach of the controversial §101.
September 20, 2019
Macro (close-up) photo of a hazel coloured human eye, eyelashes, and eyelid.

Allergan’s Glaucoma Patents Saved by “Wherein” Clauses

CAFC 2018-2207 – The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that “wherein” clauses in patent claims can be limiting if they are material to patentability.
September 13, 2019
Fibre optic cable photographed in the dark

Patent Specification Interpreted as Admission of Common General Knowledge

2019 FC 1065 – Canada's Federal Court ruled that two fiber optics patents were obvious in light of an admission made in the background sections.
June 11, 2019
Legal textbooks on a shelf

CAFC Refuses to Hear Appeal from Patent Decision

AVX Corporation v Presidio Components (Fed. Cir., 2018-1106) A case recently dismissed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (“CAFC”) confirms that […]
May 7, 2019
Abstract three-dimensional design resembling building blocks

Federal Circuit Reins in Impossible Standards for Antedating Prior Art

Fed. Cir., 2016-2222 - CAFC affirms that a patent may be successfully defended if the patent holder can prove that the invention was conceived prior to any similar prior art.
April 12, 2019
Photograph of a sunset over the trains in a trainyard.

Patentees May Bring Motion to Stay Proceedings Before the Commissioner to the FC

2019 FC 142 - FC confirms it may stay proceedings before federal board or commissions if elements of strict test are met.
April 4, 2019
White and blue pharmaceutical pills scattered on a surface

Actions Under Old PM(NOC) Regime Not Automatically Applicable to the New

2018 FC 1078 - Canada's Federal Court confirms that jurisprudence under previous PM(NOC) regime is not automatically applicable to the new.
January 23, 2019

SCOTUS Finds That Secret and Mere Existence of Sales May Invalidate Patents

586 U.S. ___ (2019) SCOTUS affirms CAFC's decision holding that if the existence of the sale is public, the invention does not need to be publicly disclosed to fall within the AIA’s on-sale bar.
December 4, 2018

The ONSC Dismisses Apotex’s Attempt to Revive the Promise Doctrine Under the Guise of Fraud

2018 ONSC 5199 – ONSC rejects Apotex’s attempt to recast Promise Doctrine under s. 53 fraud allegations.
December 19, 2017

Federal Court Upholds Pfizer’s Polymorph Patent for the Depression Drug PRISTIQ as Inventive and Useful

2017 FC 777 - The FC rejected Teva’s allegations that Pfizer's Canadian patent was obvious and lacked utility. The FC found that the POSITA would not have been able to predict the novel crystalline form taught by the patent, and that the subject-matter of the invention claimed in the patent was useful.
October 10, 2017
insufficient disclosure

Federal Court of Appeal Upholds Finding of Insufficient Disclosure

2017 FCA 161 - The FCA dismissed Idenix's appeal to a FC decision in which Idenix's Canadian patent was found invalid for insufficient disclosure and its counterclaim against Gilead was dismissed.
October 3, 2017
Federal Court Section 7

Federal Court dismisses Section 7(a) Trade-marks Act claim over lack of causal link

2016 FC 986 - The FC dismissed Supertek's claim that Mishan engaged in conduct contrary to Section 7(a) of the Trade-marks Act, in relation to a Canadian patent.
August 8, 2017

IPTV case shows that Interpretation of IT Patents may be 0’s or 1’s

2017 FC 6 - MediaTube brought allegations of infringement against Bell over one of its IT patents, asserting that Bell had infringed the patent with Bell’s IPTV services. The FC deemed the patent to be valid, but not infringed. Costs were decided in Bell’s favour and elevated to reflect the punitive damages claimed by MediaTube and the weak argument they had put forth.
June 27, 2017

ICSID Tribunal dismisses Eli Lilly’s NAFTA claim against Canada

Case No. UNCT/14/2 - An ICSID Tribunal dismissed Eli Lilly’s claim against Canada, which was brought in relation to two Canadian patents owned by Eli Lilly that had been invalidated for failing to provide the utility they promised.
May 2, 2017

FCA Finds Provincial Limitation Periods May Apply to Patents Subject to the Old Patent Act

2017 FCA 9 - The FCA affirmed the FC decision that AstraZeneca’s patent was valid and infringed, accepted Apotex’s appeal with respects to limitation periods, and rejected AstraZeneca’s cross-appeal regarding punitive damages.
April 11, 2017

FC Determines Improper Priority Claims Are Not Untrue Material Allegations

2016 FC 320 - The FC found that many of the claims in Uponor’s patent were invalid, rejected the untrue material allegation argument and found that several of the remaining claims were infringed by Heatlink and Pexcor.
March 14, 2017

Federal Court Grants Prohibition Order on Generic Psoriasis-treating Ointment

2015 FC 1237 - The FC heard and granted an application by Leo Pharma to prohibit Teva Canada from being issued a Notice of Compliance under the PM(NOC) Regulations.
February 28, 2017

Patent Appeal Board Rejects Home Healthcare Administration System for Obviousness

PAB 1394 - The Patent Appeal Board rejected the “Home Health Point-Of-Care and Administration System” disclosed in Canadian Patent Application No. 2,579,081 for being obvious to a person skilled in the art.
January 5, 2017

Industrial Design Registration for Helmet Face Shield Deemed Valid But Not Infringed

2016 FC 435 - In this industrial design case, the FC commented that the more crowded the field, the smaller the degree of difference required to evade the protection afforded by existing registrations.