Full Federal Circuit Must Weigh Joint Infringement, Akamai Says

On June 13, Akamai Technologies asked the full Federal Circuit to address whether multiple parties can be jointly liable for directly infringing a patent. Akamai, which is represented by Finnegan, is requesting the Federal Circuit to revisit its 2008 decision holding that direct infringement requires a single party to perform every step of a patent.  Akamai stated that the ruling “threatens the enforceability not only of patented methods claiming inventions that require cooperative action, but of all patented methods." The request is the latest turn in Akamai's lengthy patent dispute with Limelight Networks Inc., which it claims infringed its patent on a method of delivering Web content.