Posts Tagged: "Judge Todd Hughes"

In Tinnus v. Telebrands, Federal Circuit Reverses PTAB’s Finding of Indefiniteness After PTAB Erred in Packard Analysis

On Wednesday, May 30th, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit entered a decision in Tinnus Enterprises v. Telebrands Corporation which reversed and remanded an earlier decision by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to invalidate a patent covering the award-winning Bunch O Balloons toy developed by inventor Josh Malone. The Federal Circuit panel of Circuit Judges Kathleen…

Foreign Defendant Subject to Personal Jurisdiction for Purposely Directing Activities to the U.S.

The Federal Circuit held that it would be reasonable and fair to exercise specific personal jurisdiction over DAL because the United States has an important interest in adjudicating patent infringement disputes and M-I has a keen interest in obtaining convenient and effective relief, especially considering that modern advances in communication and transportation would reduce DAL’s burden of litigating in a distant United States court.

In a Multi-District State, venue proper where defendant maintains a principal place of business

In patent infringement suits brought against a corporate defendant in a state with multiple judicial districts, venue is only proper in the single district where the defendant maintains a principal place of business. If the principal place of business is not in the state of incorporation, venue is proper in the single judicial district where the office registered in its corporate filings is located.

CAFC says plaintiff bears the burden of proving venue is proper in a patent infringement suit

After the case was filed in the Eastern District of Texas, ZTE filed a motion to transfer the case to the Northern District of Texas under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a) and filed a motion to dismiss for improper venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1406 and § 1400(b). The district court ruled that the Eastern District of Texas was a proper venue. Relying on Fifth Circuit law, the district court denied ZTE’s motion to dismiss, finding that ZTE “failed to meet its burden to show that it does not have a regular and established place of business in the District.” ZTE filed a petition for a writ of mandamus alleging that the district court improperly placed the burden of proof on the defendant.

Inequitable Conduct Renders ’993 Patent Unenforceable

In Energy Heating v. Heat On-The-Fly, the court did not abuse its discretion in finding clear and convincing evidence that the inventor knew that the prior uses were material and specifically intended to deceive the PTO by not disclosing them. The court had sufficient evidence – including evidence of 61 commercial sales dating back to 2006 and no contemporaneous evidence of experimentation – to disbelieve Mr. Hefley’s testimony to the contrary.