Tag: Section 112(f)
-
Socket Solutions v. Import Global: Federal Circuit Demands Doctrinal Discipline Before Granting Preliminary Patent Injunctions
The Federal Circuit’s decision in Socket Solutions, LLC v. Import Global, LLC, Case No. 2025-1121 (Fed. Cir. Aug. 4, 2026), illustrates that preliminary patent injunctions do not alter the governing standards of claim construction or equitable relief. Because a preliminary injunction can remove products from the marketplace long before infringement has been finally adjudicated, courts…
-
TrackTime v. Amazon.com: Federal Circuit Requires Contextual § 112(f) Analysis for Software Claim Terms
The Federal Circuit’s decision in TrackTime, LLC v. Amazon.com Services LLC, Case No. 2024-1102 (Fed. Cir. July 2, 2026), clarifies how courts must determine whether software claim language invokes means-plus-function treatment under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), particularly when a claim recites “executable program code” configured to perform specified operations. The court vacated a judgment that…
-
Gramm v. Deere: Federal Circuit Reverses Means-Plus-Function Indefiniteness Ruling
The Federal Circuit’s decision in Gramm v. Deere & Co., No. 24-1598 (Fed. Cir. Mar. 11, 2026) addresses a recurring issue in patent litigation: when a means-plus-function claim is sufficiently supported by corresponding structure in the specification. The case arises from agricultural technology used to maintain the proper height of a crop-harvesting header as the…
-
Genuine Enabling Tech. v. Sony: Means-Plus-Function Claims Demand Full Structural Accounting
On February 19, 2026, the Federal Circuit issued a significant decision in Genuine Enabling Technology LLC v. Sony Group Corporation, No. 2024-1686, affirming summary judgment of noninfringement in favor of Sony. At first glance, the case involves familiar territory: PlayStation controllers, Bluetooth modules, and an aging patent directed to combining data streams. But the real…