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Supreme Court Clears Patent Invalidity Suits
The Empiricist writes "The United States Supreme Court has cleared the way for entities to sue over the validity of a patent — even while paying user fees to the patent holder. The eight-to-one Medimmune v. Genetech decision, written by Justice Scalia, held that by paying royalties to a patent holder, one does not necessarily waive the right to challenge the validity of the patent."
that it is obvious that the Supreme Court would reach this decision. Any other decision would defy all logic.
... bully the little-guy patent holder by suing even while paying license-fees. Little-guy can't get an injunction because fees are being paid, so it costs the big-corp nothing except their staff lawyers time. Little-guy then either has to pay to defend the patent out-of-pocket, or lose their patent (and any future license fees). Of course, this situation only plays out if the little-guy is a patent-troll and can't be counter-sued for patent infringement. And of course, in the end, the lawyers win.
At least this is one small step toward reforming the ridiculous patent system in this country. Yes, we need patents. They can be a good thing. However, when companies patent everything they can no matter how ridiculous or small, it's time to start fixing a broken system.
For average Joes like you and me, if I tell you that you owe me money, and you fear damage to your credit report if you don't pay me but you don't actually think that you do owe me, you can write "paid under protest" underneath where I would endorse the check, and then sue me to get your money back. The court won't hold it against you that you paid the bill if you make it clear to the court that you never considered yourself to be liable for the debt.*
The fact that we're talking about multi-bazillion dollar corporations doesn't mean this concept shouldn't still apply.
(* As a side note, the new electronic bank records for checks makes this a lot more viable as proof, because the fact that the bank has on record that they cashed the check with "paid under protest" already written on it means that the defendant can't claim you wrote it after the fact. Also, banks have to send you an official copy of their record of the check upon request - the copy you get with your bank statement may get accepted in small claims court, but it's not what the law considers "official".)
yet we hardly see anyone but patent trolls and megacorps doing anything with patents, so anything which weakens them is for the best.
That's because patents only make the news when you get sued. I take it that you are not an inventor. Much of the value of a startup technology company is contained in its patent portfolio, and that portfolio is what makes it attractive for purchase by larger companies.
If you're just a lone inventor and you have that good an idea, you're probably better off making a prototype and marketing the idea directly, anyhow, rather than getting patents.
There's no reason why you can't do both. In fact, if you don't do both, you're an idiot who is taking unnecessary risks on behalf of your investors.
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Effective immediately, all patent-licensing deals will have a covenant not to sue or challenge the validity of the patent as part of the licensing agreement, enforceable by a payment of "lost royalties" through the expected life of the patent.
If you won't sign away your right to sue, then you don't get a license.
If anyone figures out a way around this, the patentholders will figure out another workaround for future cases. Cat and mouse, spy vs. spy.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
A free shot? I can't recall a time involving lawyers where anything was free. It gives them a shot instead of the alternatives, which include getting sued for violating the patent without a license or just staying out of the marketplace because of a stupid patent while you wait for it to be overturned.
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I suspect that this is an error, and that the real value lies in the expertise and ability of the lone inventor or small company to create the technology in question. It's really interesting how business shies away from valuing people and expertise over some sort of even very nebulous, intangible and somewhat imaginary asset. I think there are some powerful blinders in operation somewhere.
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I have patented the process by which melanin allows an individual's skin to become darker in pigment color when UV light is applied. I will enforce my patent and thus require all individuals that appear to be tan, to pay the appropriate royalty fee. Tanning salons may receive group discount rates.
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Changelog for Version 2007.01.10
+ Added increased protection against patent trolls
-- lol pwned
Before this decision, if you wanted to challenge a patent, you had to violate the patent. That would expose you to triple damages because you obviously knew the patent existed. Also, patent holders get almost automatic injunctions. That means the court slaps you with an order that you can't sell your product. That's how RIM ended up paying $600 million to NTP even though the patent office was about to pitch out NTP's patents as bogus.
The patent system has problems but this decision seems to solve one of them.
From another article:
"Justice Thomas, dissenting, felt that a patent licensee in good standing must breach its license prior to challenging the validity of the underlying patent pursuant to the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U. S. C. 2201. 546 U. S. 1169 (2006). He held the opinion that the Court has consistently held that parties do not have standing to obtain rulings on matters that remain hypothetical or conjectural and that this was such a case."
I think this makes sense. It's a recognition that monies are sometimes paid under duress and under protest.
Look at it this way: Handing over your dinner money to the playground bully doesn't necessarily mean you think he has a right to it -- just that you'd rather miss a meal than take a severe beating and probably end up missing a meal as well when he steals the money off you.
In the same way, some people choose to pay royalties they know full well to be bogus just so as to be able to ship product and earn some money, rather than challenge the bogus patents in court straight away during which time they are likely to be barred from selling product. This ruling just recognises that paying royalties does not necessarily mean acceptance that the patent is valid.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
The danger that the courts may rule that the licensee can't sign away his right to challenge the patent, thus that clause is unenforceable. You can see the equivalent of that all the time: the clauses that disclaim all warranties, followed by "Some states do not permit the disclaimer of the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for purpose. In those cases, the law trumps our disclaimer.". And from the tone of the Supreme Court on recent patent cases, I get the feeling they don't agree with the Federal Circuit on a lot of things and are getting about ready to do some wholesale striking down of Fed Circ precedents.
that portfolio is what makes it attractive for purchase by larger companies.
Back in the day the goal of a small company was to grow until it was one of the larger companies, not lose itself to the highest bidder.
KFG
It's not a totally stupid point. The courts do not like "what if" lawsuits. If your issue is "maybe" or "what if", the courts will in general tell you to get lost - and, in my opinion, rightly so. The courts are clogged enough as it is.
But I think the application of that principle to this particular situation is in error. If I'm having to pay royalties to use a patent that I believe is bogus, and my options are to expose myself to severe liability (by stopping payment but still using the patent), or stop making the product, or continue to pay the extortion, that's a pretty unjust situation that has been created. And the law, as another principle, doesn't like to create unjust situations by stupid application of rules. (Though I must say, for something that it tries to avoid, it seems to do it way too often anyway...)
I suspect that this is an error, and that the real value lies in the expertise and ability of the lone inventor or small company to create the technology in question. It's really interesting how business shies away from valuing people and expertise over some sort of even very nebulous, intangible and somewhat imaginary asset. I think there are some powerful blinders in operation somewhere.
Actually a lot of businesses do value people with expertise over just about all else. A lot of startups -- I mean real startups that were producing actual products, not business plans based on selling advertisements to goldfish -- were bought out not because their patent/product portfolio was really all that impressive or valuable on their own, but because the engineers that designed those products were impressive. Brainpower is a powerful asset, and successfull businesses recognize it and try to aquire/cultivate it. Of course then the accountants come in with the quarterly reports and then the axe starts swinging, but so it goes.
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For those who are talking about auto-revoke clauses in lawsuits (of which I've seen a number post), read the article:
During arguments in October, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. suggested there may be some way to structure a licensing agreement to diminish the threat of a lawsuit. Best predicts companies will likely try including contractual provisions prohibiting filing suit, potentially charging lower fees for those who agree to waive that legal right. But it's unclear whether such measures are legal. Courts generally hold that the right to sue should be retained - a sentiment that came out in this case.
Simply because a clause is within a contract/agreement, doesn't make it legally valid. As the courts have established through decisions, the right to sue should be retained and it's likely that clauses stipulating the prohibition of filing suit would be deemed legally unenforceable. A contract/agreement could be structured to make it undesirable to file suit or more desirable to persuade a licensee not to, but clauses that seek to waiver that right most likely will fail.
This decision has a more profound effect then simply the right to sue. It also raises the bar in the establishment of knowingly violating a patent. If a person/company sues to invalidate a patent, then only if the lawsuit is unsuccessful and the person/company continues to violate the patent can it be established they "knowingly" violated the patent. So this will also have an effect of making it more difficult to seek treble damages. Any person/company with the foresight and resources would file an invalidation lawsuit for that very reason, I suspect.
I agree with the Supreme Courts interpretation that just because you license, doesn't mean "Actual Controversy" requirements for filing an invalidation suit are voided. Previous court decisions established that you had to violate a patent first in order to file suit to fulfill "Actual Controversy" requirements. The Catch-22 of this is that by the very act of violating the patent, you are doing so "knowingly" in order to pursue an invalidation suit. Which means that should the suit fail, you'll automatically be nailed for treble damages since you've already established you knowingly violated the patent in order to pursue the invalidation suit in the first place.
The previous logic was flawed. It was like saying that if someone portends you owe them money, you would have to acknowledge you do owe them money before you could file a suit to establish you don't. The refusal to acknowledge a patent as valid should be grounds enough to fulfill the actual controversy requirements....may cause you to read this as "Supreme Court Patents Clear Invalidity Suits". Mmmmmm... Clear Invalidity Suits. I want one of those.