案件資訊:
原告/被上訴人/專利權人:JASWANT S. PANNU and JASWANT S. PANNU, M.D., P.A.
被告/上訴人:IOLAB CORPORATION
系爭專利:Re32,525
判決日:August 06, 1998
本案緣起Jaswant向地方法院對Iolab提起侵權告訴,Iolab提起專利無效(35 U.S.C. §102(f))的請願,但地院判決專利有效,Iolab對此決定提起上訴。
102(f):
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless -
...
(f) he did not himself invent the subject matter sought to be patented.
系爭專利有些歷史,簡單來說,專利權人魚1980年提出專利申請案,之後提出CIP案,到了1985年提出再領證(reissue),即本次系爭專利。
專利權人於1993年向Iolab提出侵權告訴,但Iolab提起請願,主張專利無效,理由是Pannu不是系爭專利的唯一發明人,還有William Link,另主張系爭專利並未揭示best mode,違反112規定。
地院判決是專利有效,沒有違反112規定,且侵權成立。
CAFC階段:
主要議題關於inventorship,Iolab主張系爭專利不符102(f)無效,因為沒有將William Link列在發明人中,甚至主張William Link才是唯一發明人,因為Pannu的發明已經是本次系爭專利的先前技術。
事實上,發明人是可以更正的,可參考以下案例參考連結,
但案件經上訴CAFC後,CAFC同意Iolab的主張 - Pannu不是唯一發明人,據此也根據旁系禁反言,不得主張專利權。
CAFC在此判決是:
The district court properly construed the disputed claim terms and did not err in denying the post-trial motions challenging the infringement and non-infringement verdicts. However, the court did err by granting JMOL on the issue of inventorship. Iolab introduced sufficient evidence on which a reasonable jury could have found clear and convincing evidence that Link is a co-inventor. On such a finding and absent correction, the patent would be rendered invalid under section 102(f). Accordingly, we vacate the judgment in favor of Pannu and remand for a determination of the inventorship question and any related issues in a manner not inconsistent with this opinion.
後續CAFC曾經有再確認的決定:August 8, 2001
關於發明人是誰?
如此,在沒有更正發明人時,根據102(f),CAFC判決系爭專利是無效的,撤銷地院判決被告須繳付雙方律師費用的決定,還以"旁系禁反言(collateral estoppel)"防止Jaswant繼續主張Re32,525專利權。
其他參考:
- 發明人不實而不准專利(共同發明人有誰?) - In re VerHoef (Fed. Cir. 2018)(https://enpan.blogspot.com/2018/05/in-re-verhoef-fed-cir-2018.html)
- 發明人更正不會讓專利無效、司法禁反言之適用 - Egenera, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2020)(https://enpan.blogspot.com/2020/10/egenera-inc-v-cisco-systems-inc-fed-cir.html)
Ron
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