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The 5 Most Influential Patent Law Cases of 2024

By Monica Arnold and Michelle Armond
December 26, 2024

We’re counting down to the new year with a recap of the five most influential patent decisions from 2024. Spanning damages, design patents, infringement loopholes, issue preclusion, and prior art disqualification, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had an active year issuing cases with a direct impact on innovation. With several of these decisions currently on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, 2025 is shaping up to bring even more change.

LKQ v. GM Global Technology, 102 F.4th 1280 (Fed. Cir. 2024) (en banc)


We begin with the only en banc patent decision expected from the Federal Circuit this year. In LKQ, the court overturned its long-standing Rosen-Durling decision, potentially opening a larger pool of prior art to design patents.

A utility patent protects a patented item’s function, while a design patent protects an ornamental design. Both must be nonobvious, but courts historically applied different legal tests to determine whether utility or design patents could be issued over a combination of prior art.

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