Declarant’s Intentional Misrepresentation Not Remedied By Contradictory Supporting Exhibits
Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.26.07
In eSpeed, Inc. v. Brokertec USA, L.L.C., (No. 06-1385; March 20, 2007), the Federal Circuit affirms the district court’s judgment declaring a patent unenforceable due to inequitable conduct. eSpeed submitted three declarations and 1139 pages of supporting exhibits disclosing a prior system implemented by eSpeed. One of the declarations stated that the prior system did not include computer code that implements particular trading rules. The supporting exhibits, however, disclosed that the system included computer code for implementing those trading rules. Rejecting eSpeed’s argument the contradictory supporting exhibits vitiated the materiality of the false statements, the Federal Circuit holds that these false statements left the examiner with the impression that further investigation into the operation of the system was not required.
Insights
Client Alert | 2 min read | 11.14.25
Claim construction is a key stage of most patent litigations, where the court must decide the meaning of any disputed terms in the patent claims. Generally, claim terms are given their plain and ordinary meaning except under two circumstances: (1) when the patentee acts as its own lexicographer and sets out a definition for the term; and (2) when the patentee disavows the full scope of the term either in the specification or during prosecution. Thorner v. Sony Comput. Ent. Am. LLC, 669 F.3d 1362, 1365 (Fed. Cir. 2012). The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Aortic Innovations LLC v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp. highlights that patentees can act as their own lexicographers through consistent, interchangeable usage of terms across the specification, effectively defining terms by implication.
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.14.25
Microplastics Update: Regulatory and Litigation Developments in 2025
Client Alert | 6 min read | 11.13.25
