The Technology & Information Law Blog

Analysis by Charles Gideon Korrell

  • US Patent No. 7,679,637 v. Google: Federal Circuit Rejects Functional Claims Under Section 101

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    On January 22, 2026, the Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a patent infringement complaint against Google at the pleading stage, holding that the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 7,679,637 are patent-ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The decision reinforces a familiar theme in modern eligibility jurisprudence: claims drafted at a high level of…

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  • Barry v. DePuy Synthes: Federal Circuit Limits Daubert Exclusion of Patent Experts

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    On January 20, 2026, the Federal Circuit issued a significant decision clarifying the boundary between judicial gatekeeping under Daubert and the jury’s role as factfinder in patent infringement trials. In Barry v. DePuy Synthes Companies, the court reversed the exclusion of two key experts and vacated a judgment as a matter of law entered after…

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  • Crocs v. ITC: One Commission Decision Can Trigger Two Appeal Deadlines

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    The Federal Circuit’s decision in Crocs, Inc. v. International Trade Commission, Case No. 2024-1300 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 8, 2026), illustrates a jurisdictional trap in Section 337 proceedings: different portions of the same Commission determination can become final, and therefore appealable, at different times. The court dismissed as untimely Crocs’s challenge to a no-violation determination while…

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  • Ethanol Boosting Systems v. Ford: Federal Circuit Enforces PTAB Institution Finality and Issue Preservation

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    The Federal Circuit’s December 23, 2025 decision in Ethanol Boosting Systems, LLC v. Ford Motor Company delivers a comprehensive reminder of three recurring themes in modern PTAB litigation: the near-impenetrable bar to reviewing institution decisions, the limits of importing district court claim constructions into inter partes review, and the evidentiary deference accorded to the Board’s…

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  • Micron v. Longhorn IP: When an $8 Million Bond Isn’t Appealable (Yet)

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    The Federal Circuit’s December 18, 2025 decision in Micron Technology, Inc. v. Longhorn IP LLC is a reminder that not every high-stakes procedural ruling is immediately appealable, even when it carries an eight-figure price tag and raises substantial federal preemption questions. In dismissing the appeal for lack of jurisdiction, the court sidestepped the merits entirely,…

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  • Wonderland v. Evenflo: Federal Circuit Reassesses Infringement, Injunction, and Willfulness

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    The Federal Circuit’s decision in Wonderland Switzerland AG v. Evenflo Company, Inc. (Dec. 17, 2025) delivers a sweeping reset across several familiar but frequently contested areas of patent law: doctrine of equivalents limits, claim construction discipline, permanent injunction standards, and the evidentiary threshold for willfulness. The court affirmed much of the jury’s infringement verdict, but…

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  • Game Plan v. Uninterrupted IP: Assignments During Litigation Can Still Win Priority—If the Goodwill Comes Along

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    The Federal Circuit’s decision in Game Plan, Inc. v. Uninterrupted IP, LLC, Appeal No. 2024-1407 (Dec. 10, 2025), offers a pointed reminder that trademark priority disputes often turn less on lofty equitable arguments and more on procedural discipline and the fundamentals of goodwill transfer. The court affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s cancellation of…

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  • In re Bayou Grande Coffee Roasting Co.: When a Beverage Name Is Neither Generic Nor Descriptive

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    On December 9, 2025, the Federal Circuit issued a sharp rebuke to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s refusal to register the mark KAHWA for café and coffee shop services. In In re Bayou Grande Coffee Roasting Co., No. 2024-1118 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 9, 2025), the court reversed the Board’s findings of genericness and mere…

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  • IBM v. Zillow: Prior Art Must Disclose What the Patent Claim Actually Requires

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    On December 9, 2025, the Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision in International Business Machines Corp. v. Zillow Group, Inc., affirming a split Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that invalidated some claims of IBM’s single sign-on patent while preserving others. The opinion offers a careful, almost tutorial-like, explanation of how far the Board may…

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  • Coda Development v. Goodyear: Federal Circuit Wipes Out $64M Trade Secret Verdict

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    On December 8, 2025, the Federal Circuit affirmed the Northern District of Ohio’s judgment as a matter of law wiping out a $64 million jury verdict in Coda Development s.r.o. v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., No. 23-1880 (Fed. Cir. Dec. 8, 2025). The court concluded that no reasonable jury could have found Goodyear liable…

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