August 2010

Spotlight Info

In Wyers v. Master Lock Co., No. 09-1412 (Fed. Cir. July 22, 2010), the Federal Circuit overturned the jury’s verdict that Master Lock Company LLC (“Master Lock”) failed to show by clear and convincing evidence that the asserted claims would have been obvious.  The patents at issue relate to hitch pin locks that secure trailers to automobiles.  Although the patents claimed improvements to prior art locks, the Federal Circuit found that the asserted claims represented no more than the predictable use of prior art elements according to their established function.  The Court further found that it was a matter of common sense to combine those prior art elements to arrive at the claimed invention.  Thus, the Court held that the claims were obvious as a matter of law and reversed the district court’s holding that the asserted claims were nonobvious.  See the full summary in this issue.