Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

IP News

By Howard Shire and Michael Block
April 01, 2018

Claim Preclusion Requires Analysis that Claims in Newly Asserted Patents are Patently Indistinct from Claims in Previously Adjudicated Patents

On March 12, 2018, a Federal Circuit panel of Judges Lourie, Reyna, and Chen issued a unanimous decision in SimpleAir, Inc. v. Google LLC, Case No. 2016-2738. This case was on appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in No. 2:16-cv-00488-JRG. The panel vacated the district court's claim preclusion order, and remanded to determine whether formal claim construction was necessary to resolve whether the asserted claims were patentably indistinct from the claims in previously adjudicated patents.

SimpleAir, Inc. (SimpleAir) owns a family of patents directed to push notification technology. The parent patent and child patents in the family all share a common specification and also claim priority from the same provisional application. To overcome obviousness-type double patenting rejections during prosecution of the child patents, SimpleAir filed terminal disclaimers which required the child patents to expire the same day as the parent patent, and be commonly owned with the parent patent. SimpleAir brought a series of lawsuits involving the family of patents against Google, LLC (Google). Each lawsuit accused Google's Cloud Messaging and Cloud to Device Messaging Services (GCM), and the first three lawsuits resulted in judgment of noninfringement.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
New York's Latest Cybersecurity Commitment Image

On Aug. 9, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced New York's inaugural comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In sum, the plan aims to update government networks, bolster county-level digital defenses, and regulate critical infrastructure.

Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the Office Image

A trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.

Bit Parts Image

Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights

The Bankruptcy Hotline Image

Recent cases of importance to your practice.

How AI Has Affected PR Image

When we consider how the use of AI affects legal PR and communications, we have to look at it as an industrywide global phenomenon. A recent online conference provided an overview of the latest AI trends in public relations, and specifically, the impact of AI on communications. Here are some of the key points and takeaways from several of the speakers, who provided current best practices, tips, concerns and case studies.