Tag: inventorship
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International Medical Devices v. Cornell: Federal Circuit Narrows Trade Secret Protection for Publicly Disclosed Concepts
The Federal Circuit’s decision in International Medical Devices, Inc. v. Cornell, Case No. 25-1580 -1605 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 17, 2026), provides an important reminder that trade secret law cannot be used to reclaim ideas already placed into the public domain through patents. The dispute arose out of the highly specialized and somewhat unusual market for…
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Fortress Iron v. Digger Specialties: Federal Circuit Invalidates Patent When Inventorship Cannot Be Corrected
The Federal Circuit’s decision in Fortress Iron, LP v. Digger Specialties, Inc., Case No. 24-2313 (Fed. Cir. Apr 2, 2026), addresses a deceptively simple but practically significant question: what happens when everyone agrees a patent omitted a true inventor—but that inventor cannot be found? The answer is unforgiving. If the omitted inventor cannot be joined…
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Implicit v. Sonos: Federal Circuit Holds That Post-IPR Inventorship Corrections Cannot Undo Forfeited Arguments
The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Implicit, LLC v. Sonos, Inc., No. 25-853 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 9, 2026), addresses a procedural question that arises occasionally in patent litigation but rarely receives sustained appellate attention: what happens when a patent owner corrects inventorship after a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) final written decision? The short…
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Coda Development v. Goodyear: Federal Circuit Wipes Out $64M Trade Secret Verdict
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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IQE PLC v. Newport Fab (Tower Semiconductor): When Patent Filings Trigger Anti-SLAPP Protection
On October 15, 2025, the Federal Circuit issued a precedential opinion in IQE PLC v. Newport Fab, LLC d/b/a Jazz Semiconductor et al., addressing two questions that rarely intersect so directly: (1) whether denials of California anti-SLAPP motions are immediately appealable in cases within the Federal Circuit’s exclusive jurisdiction, and (2) how California’s anti-SLAPP framework…
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Global Health Solutions LLC v. Selner: The Federal Circuit’s First AIA Derivation Appeal Clarifies Conception, Corroboration, and Harmless Error
The Federal Circuit’s decision in Global Health Solutions LLC v. Selner marks the court’s first precedential review of an America Invents Act (AIA) derivation proceeding. In affirming the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s judgment, the court provided much-needed guidance on how AIA derivation proceedings differ from pre-AIA interferences, how conception and communication operate under the…
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BEARBOX LLC v. LANCIUM LLC: A Legal Examination of Inventorship and State Law Preemption in Patent Law
In the recent case of BearBox LLC v. Lancium LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit addressed pivotal issues concerning inventorship claims and the preemption of state law by federal patent statutes. This case underscores the intricate balance between state and federal jurisdictions in intellectual property disputes. Case Background Austin Storms,…