In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued several key decisions which had major implications for patent law going forward. Law360 reached to Finnegan attorney James R. Barney for his thoughts on some of the biggest patent cases of 2015.
In the Williamson v. Citrix Online case, an en banc Federal Circuit adjusted the rules for means-plus-function claims, deciding that patents that don't include the word "means" can now be challenged as indefinite. Barney noted that there are many patents that were written without the word "means" that the owners had assumed could not be challenged as indefinite, but under Williamson, "they could fall into that trap." Regarding the ClearCorrect vs. ITC case, in which the Federal Circuit ruled that the ITC does not have jurisdiction to block the import of infringing digital files, Barney believes that this decision could have a much larger impact than people realize since so much of technology is now digital.
Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), means-plus-function claim, Williamson v. Citrix Online, ClearCorrect v. ITC
Media Mention
Women in Business Law Americas Awards 2024: Three Finnegan Attorneys Shortlisted
April 7, 2024
Press Release
Finnegan and BMW Group Successfully Demolish Non-Practicing Entity NorthStar’s Efforts
April 3, 2024
Due to international data regulations, we’ve updated our privacy policy. Click here to read our privacy policy in full.
We use cookies on this website to provide you with the best user experience. By accepting cookies, you agree to our use of cookies. Please note that if you opt not to accept or if you disable cookies, the “Your Finnegan” feature on this website will be disabled as well. For more information on how we use cookies, please see our Privacy Policy.
Finnegan is thrilled to announce the launch of our new blog, Ad Law Buzz, devoted solely to breaking news, developments, trends, and analysis in advertising law.