SubscribeIn an 8–4 decision, the en banc US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a per curiam order upholding its earlier panel decision finding a claim using the transitional phrase “consisting essentially of” to be indefinite because of inconsistences in the manner in which the patent specification explained the meaning of “better drying time” in connection with use of the claimed formulation. The Court denied plaintiff’s petition for panel rehearing and for rehearing en banc. HZNP Fin. Ltd. v. Actavis Labs. UT, Inc., Case No. 17-2149 (Fed. Cir. Feb. 25, 2020) (per curiam) (Lourie, J, joined by Newman, O’Malley and Stoll, JJ, dissenting). Judge Newman also dissented in the original panel decision. (more…)
indefiniteness
PTAB May Not Cancel Indefinite Claims in IPR, No Matter What
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit imposed limits on what the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) is authorized to do by statute when dealing with challenged claims in an inter partes review (IPR) that it finds to be too indefinite to apply prior art. Samsung Elecs. Am., Inc. v. Prisua Eng’g Corp., Case Nos. 19-1169, -1260 (Fed. Cir. Feb. 4, 2020) (Bryson, J).
