CAFC en banc in MARINE POLYMER v. HEMCON: an unusual and unfortunate approach to an important issue?
The conclusion of the CAFC:
In sum, the plain directive of the governing statute before us does not permit HemCon to invoke intervening rights against claims that the PTO confirmed on reexamination to be patentable as originally issued. To be sure, patent applicants’ actions and arguments during prosecution, including prosecution in a reexamination proceeding, can affect the proper interpretation and effective scope of their claims. But in rejecting HemCon’s request for intervening rights, we are not here interpreting claims. Rather, we are interpreting a statute that provides for intervening rights following reexamination only as to “amended or new” claims. The asserted claims of the ’245 patent are neither.
CONCLUSION
Accordingly, the final judgment of the district court is affirmed.
But note also the text: Upon reconsideration en banc, we affirm the judgment of the district court by an equally divided court.
In footnote 4, the majority of the equally divided court cited Exxon v. Lubrizol:
Judge Dyk’s opinion argues the details of claim construction based on the assertion that neither party argued the construction arrived at by the district court. We are not bound by the arguments of the parties, however, and neither was the district court. Exxon Chem. Patents, Inc. v. Lubrizol Corp., 64 F.3d 1553, 1555 (Fed. Cir. 1995). Moreover, Judge Dyk suggests that we are deciding claim construction based only on one example, to the exclusion of others. In fact there is only one example of the claimed p-GlcNAc in the specification; the rest of the cited “examples” provide various methods of purifying, characterizing, or using the disclosed product.
The dissent begins:
The court took this case en banc to address when absolute intervening rights arise under 35 U.S.C. § 307(b) during reexamination. In particular, the question is whether intervening rights accrue when the patentee limits the claim scope by argument rather than by formal amendment to the claim language. (...) the court did not seek further briefing and argument by the parties. This approach to an important issue is in my view difficult to justify. Now, remarkably, the court having affirmed the district court’s judgment by an equally divided court, goes on to opine in dictum as to the issue of intervening rights even though that issue (as discussed below) has been resolved by the affirmance and also, in the majority’s view, “is not properly before us on appeal.” Maj. Op. at 20. This is an unusual and unfortunate approach to an important issue. This issue is likely to become even more important under the new Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“AIA”) because of the increased availability of reexamination. The majority’s interpretation of the statute is both incorrect and certain to encourage improper strategic behavior by patent applicants.
The dissent discusses a recurring theme:
The approach in Judge Lourie’s opinion of interpreting a claim limitation based solely on a single example from the specification is an approach we have repeatedly rejected. See, e.g., Silicon Graphics, Inc. v. ATI Techs., Inc., 607 F.3d 784, 792 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (“A construing court's reliance on the specification must not go so far as to import limitations into claims from examples or embodiments appearing only in a patent’s written descrip- tion unless the specification makes clear that the patentee intends for the claims and the embodiments in the specifi- cation to be strictly coextensive.” (internal quotation marks omitted)); Howmedica Osteonics Corp. v. Wright Med. Tech., Inc., 540 F.3d 1337, 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (“[W]e have repeatedly held that the fact that the specifi- cation describes only a single embodiment, standing alone, is insufficient to limit otherwise broad claim language.”). We have “cautioned against limiting the claimed invention to preferred embodiments or specific examples in the specification.” Tex. Instruments, Inc. v. U.S. Int’l Trade Comm’n, 805 F.2d 1558, 1563 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Indeed, the “[v]aried use of a disputed term in the written description demonstrates the breadth of the term rather than providing a limited definition.” Johnson Worldwide Assocs., Inc. v. Zebco Corp., 175 F.3d 985, 991 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
AND, rather bluntly:
Judge Lourie’s new approach to claim construction would enable patentees to eliminate questions of validity by narrowing claims in accordance with a preferred embodiment or single example, while also allowing alleged infringers to narrow claims beyond their valid scope to avoid infringement. That approach cannot be correct.
The final text in the dissent:
Allowing patent owners to avoid creating intervening rights by amending claims by argument is an abuse of the reexamination process and undermines the purpose of intervening rights. Section 307(b) cannot be construed to sanction such abuses.
To be sure, not every argument during reexamination should give rise to intervening rights, but intervening rights should be available where an argument during reexamination rises to the level of a clear and unambiguous disclaimer or disavowal of the original, correct claim construction. Here, Marine Polymer clearly and unambiguously disclaimed the scope of its claim by effectively becoming its own lexicographer and presenting a specific, limiting definition of the term “biocompatible.” 10 I
respectfully dissent.
**Update
Note a slight correction at http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/images/stories/opinions-orders/10-1548%20errata.pdf
In sum, the plain directive of the governing statute before us does not permit HemCon to invoke intervening rights against claims that the PTO confirmed on reexamination to be patentable as originally issued. To be sure, patent applicants’ actions and arguments during prosecution, including prosecution in a reexamination proceeding, can affect the proper interpretation and effective scope of their claims. But in rejecting HemCon’s request for intervening rights, we are not here interpreting claims. Rather, we are interpreting a statute that provides for intervening rights following reexamination only as to “amended or new” claims. The asserted claims of the ’245 patent are neither.
CONCLUSION
Accordingly, the final judgment of the district court is affirmed.
But note also the text: Upon reconsideration en banc, we affirm the judgment of the district court by an equally divided court.
In footnote 4, the majority of the equally divided court cited Exxon v. Lubrizol:
Judge Dyk’s opinion argues the details of claim construction based on the assertion that neither party argued the construction arrived at by the district court. We are not bound by the arguments of the parties, however, and neither was the district court. Exxon Chem. Patents, Inc. v. Lubrizol Corp., 64 F.3d 1553, 1555 (Fed. Cir. 1995). Moreover, Judge Dyk suggests that we are deciding claim construction based only on one example, to the exclusion of others. In fact there is only one example of the claimed p-GlcNAc in the specification; the rest of the cited “examples” provide various methods of purifying, characterizing, or using the disclosed product.
The dissent begins:
The court took this case en banc to address when absolute intervening rights arise under 35 U.S.C. § 307(b) during reexamination. In particular, the question is whether intervening rights accrue when the patentee limits the claim scope by argument rather than by formal amendment to the claim language. (...) the court did not seek further briefing and argument by the parties. This approach to an important issue is in my view difficult to justify. Now, remarkably, the court having affirmed the district court’s judgment by an equally divided court, goes on to opine in dictum as to the issue of intervening rights even though that issue (as discussed below) has been resolved by the affirmance and also, in the majority’s view, “is not properly before us on appeal.” Maj. Op. at 20. This is an unusual and unfortunate approach to an important issue. This issue is likely to become even more important under the new Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“AIA”) because of the increased availability of reexamination. The majority’s interpretation of the statute is both incorrect and certain to encourage improper strategic behavior by patent applicants.
The dissent discusses a recurring theme:
The approach in Judge Lourie’s opinion of interpreting a claim limitation based solely on a single example from the specification is an approach we have repeatedly rejected. See, e.g., Silicon Graphics, Inc. v. ATI Techs., Inc., 607 F.3d 784, 792 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (“A construing court's reliance on the specification must not go so far as to import limitations into claims from examples or embodiments appearing only in a patent’s written descrip- tion unless the specification makes clear that the patentee intends for the claims and the embodiments in the specifi- cation to be strictly coextensive.” (internal quotation marks omitted)); Howmedica Osteonics Corp. v. Wright Med. Tech., Inc., 540 F.3d 1337, 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (“[W]e have repeatedly held that the fact that the specifi- cation describes only a single embodiment, standing alone, is insufficient to limit otherwise broad claim language.”). We have “cautioned against limiting the claimed invention to preferred embodiments or specific examples in the specification.” Tex. Instruments, Inc. v. U.S. Int’l Trade Comm’n, 805 F.2d 1558, 1563 (Fed. Cir. 1986). Indeed, the “[v]aried use of a disputed term in the written description demonstrates the breadth of the term rather than providing a limited definition.” Johnson Worldwide Assocs., Inc. v. Zebco Corp., 175 F.3d 985, 991 (Fed. Cir. 1999).
AND, rather bluntly:
Judge Lourie’s new approach to claim construction would enable patentees to eliminate questions of validity by narrowing claims in accordance with a preferred embodiment or single example, while also allowing alleged infringers to narrow claims beyond their valid scope to avoid infringement. That approach cannot be correct.
The final text in the dissent:
Allowing patent owners to avoid creating intervening rights by amending claims by argument is an abuse of the reexamination process and undermines the purpose of intervening rights. Section 307(b) cannot be construed to sanction such abuses.
To be sure, not every argument during reexamination should give rise to intervening rights, but intervening rights should be available where an argument during reexamination rises to the level of a clear and unambiguous disclaimer or disavowal of the original, correct claim construction. Here, Marine Polymer clearly and unambiguously disclaimed the scope of its claim by effectively becoming its own lexicographer and presenting a specific, limiting definition of the term “biocompatible.” 10 I
respectfully dissent.
**Update
Note a slight correction at http://www.cafc.uscourts.gov/images/stories/opinions-orders/10-1548%20errata.pdf
posted by Lawrence B. Ebert at 9:25 AM
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