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District Court's Markman Ruling Has No Preclusive Effect On PTO Reexam

Client Alert | 1 min read | 08.24.07

The Federal Circuit, in In Re Trans Texas Holdings Corp., (No. 2006-1559, -1600, Aug. 22, 2007), affirms a Board's Reexamination decision that found that each of the claims of two related patents were invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as obvious over the prior art. The Court rejects the appellant's argument that the Board should have given preclusive effect to a district court's Markman order, which had construed the claims in their favor in a prior litigation. The Court holds that issue preclusion is not warranted because the PTO was not a party to the earlier litigation, and as a result, did not have a "full and fair opportunity" to litigate the claim construction issues.

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Client Alert | 5 min read | 08.04.25

Labor Market Reforms in Belgium—Summer Agreement and New Program Act: Major Transformations on the Horizon

The Belgian federal government has taken two decisive steps in the implementation of its reform agenda. First, the adoption of the so-called Summer Agreement on July 21 outlines an ambitious fiscal and social overhaul. Second, the long-awaited Program Act was approved during the night of July 17 to July 18 and introduces a historic limitation on unemployment benefits. Together, these measures significantly redefine the Belgian labor market ecosystem. ...