Judge Robinson Finds One Patent Invalid as Obvious, Another Not Invalid

In Orexo AB v. Actavis Elizabeth LLC, Civ. No. 14-829-SLR (Nov. 15, 2016), an ANDA case, Judge Robinson found one of the two patents-in-suit invalid as obvious after trial. The Court held a five-day bench trial to address the issues of infringement and validity. The patents relate to a drug used to treat opioid dependence. Regarding…

Judge Sleet Grants and Denies in Part Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss

In Koninklijke Philips N.V. et al. v. ASUSTeK Computer Inc. et al., C.A. No. 15-1126-GMS (D. Del. Oct. 25, 2016), Judge Sleet denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim of direct infringement and granted the motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim with respect to the plaintiffs’ contributory infringement…

Judge Andrews Grants Motion to Compel Discovery

In Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc. et al. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., C.A. No. 14-1451-RGA (Nov. 4, 2016), Judge Andrews granted the plaintiffs’ motion to compel discovery of four documents. The documents were authored by three individuals who were either Indian in-house counsel or reported to in-house counsel. The defendants argued that the documents were protected…

Chief Judge Stark Denies Summary Judgment Motions and Motions to Preclude Expert Testimony

In Andover Healthcare, Inc. v. 3M Company, C.A. No. 13-843-LPS (D. Del. Oct. 18, 2016), Chief Judge Stark denied the parties’ cross-motions for summary judgment on the defendant’s laches and equitable estoppel defenses, as well as the defendant’s motion for summary judgment of indefiniteness, noninfringement and willfulness, defendant’s motion to preclude the plaintiff’s CEO from testifying…

Judge Robinson to Take Senior Status

The United States District Court for the District of Delaware has announced that Judge Sue L. Robinson will take senior status starting in February 2017. Judge Robinson served as a magistrate judge for the District of Delaware from 1988 to 1991, and was appointed as a district judge of the District of Delaware in 1991. She…

Judge Robinson Denies Motion for Transfer

In Smith International, Inc. v. Baker Hughes Inc., Civ. No. 16-56-SLR/SRF (D. Del. Oct. 19, 2016), Judge Robinson affirmed Magistrate Judge Fallon’s recommendation to deny the motion to transfer filed by the defendant, Baker Hughes, Inc. (“Baker”). The parties had been involved in litigation in the Southern District of Texas regarding, among other issues, infringement of…

Magistrate Judge Burke Resolves Disputes over Identification of Accused Products and Production of Core Technical Documents

In Tessera, Inc. v. Broadcom Corp., C.A. No. 16-380-LPS-CJB (D. Del. Oct. 19, 2016), Magistrate Judge Burke resolved disputes over identification of accused products and core technical documents. Specifically, Tessera, Inc. and Tessera Advanced Technologies, Inc. (together, “Tessera”), the plaintiffs, identified products accused of infringing certain patents as those containing materials that display a certain property,…

Delaware Intellectual Property Law Update

This update provides short updates on judicial decisions, trends, and notable events in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, traditionally one of the three busiest jurisdictions for intellectual property litigation.