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Conditional Sale Doesn’t Trigger Patent Exhaustion

Client Alert | 1 min read | 07.10.06

In LG Electronics, Inc. v. Bizcom Electronics, Inc. et al. , (No. 05-1261, July 7, 2006), a Federal Circuit panel affirms in part, reverses in part and vacates in part a district court's summary judgment of non-infringement in favor of third-party installers who purchase microprocessors and chipsets from Intel Corporation, which is itself authorized to sell such products under an agreement with LG Electronics (“LGE”). Under this agreement, however, Intel is required to notify its customers that combining Intel products with non-Intel products is not permitted.

In reversing the district court's holding that the system claims of LGE's asserted patents were “exhausted” by Intel's sales, the panel reasons that requiring Intel to notify its customers that they were prohibited from infringing LGE's combination patents makes both the license and subsequent sales by Intel expressly conditional and, as such, does not trigger the patent exhaustion doctrine.

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Client Alert | 5 min read | 08.21.26

FTC Proposes Enforcement Policy Statement on Personalized Pricing: What Businesses Need to Know

On August 19, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a proposed Enforcement Policy Statement on personalized pricing — the practice of companies using consumers’ personal data to set individualized prices, discounts, coupons, or other incentives. The proposed statement, which is open for public comment for 30 days following publication in the Federal Register, marks a major step up in the FTC’s focus on data-driven pricing strategies and puts businesses across industries on notice that undisclosed or inadequately disclosed personalized pricing will not be tolerated. Importantly, while the proposed statement is not a binding legal requirement and does not create new legal obligations, it serves as an enforcement warning that the FTC is prepared to use its existing enforcement authority under Section 5 of the FTC Act (Section 5) and is also a potential harbinger of rulemaking. Businesses that engage in — or are considering — personalized pricing should carefully assess their disclosure practices and data collection procedures against the standards articulated in this statement....

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