Patent Law

Meeting Time:
MTu 11:15-12:30

Meeting Location:
Boalt 170

Instructor:
Robert P. Merges
438 Boalt Hall (North Addition)
510-643-6199
rmerges@law.berkeley.edu


Our casebook is Merges & Duffy, Patent Law and Policy (4th ed. 2007 – referred to as “M&D” in the following syllabus). A supplement to the casebook (referred to as “Book Supp.”) will also be used; I will email this to you near the beginning of the semester. I also require that you use a statutory supplement, such as Merges et al., IP in the New Technological Age, Case and Statutory Supplement (2009) (referred to as “Stat. Supp.”).

We meet Monday and Tuesday, 11:15-12:30 in room 170. I will have regular office hours, TBA, or you can arrange an appointment. My office is in room 438, North Addition; phone 643-6199; email rmerges@law.berkeley.edu.

Date & Assignment

8/17_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Historical Introduction M&D 1-13; Introduction to the patent document, pp. 13-26; Introduction to Claims & Patent System: M&D 26-66.

8/18_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Patentable Subject Matter: Stat. Supp. 35 USC § 101; Intro., Diamond and Notes, M&D 67-79; Note on Patenting Scientific Discoveries, 90-92; Lab. Corp. America v. Metabolite & Notes; Parke-Davis v. Mulford and Notes, 98-113.

** No Class 8/24 & 8/25 ____________________________________________________________

8/31_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

In re Bilski, [Link]

9/1______________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Utility: Brana, M&D 230-240; Ex parte Fisher, M&D 240-256.

9/7______________________________________________________________________________

Labor Day Holiday – No Class

9/8______________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Enablement and Written Description: Intro and Incandescent Lamp, M&D 261-272; Intro. & Gentry Gallery, M&D 299-309; Stat Supp. 35 USC § 112.

9/14_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Written Description II: Rochester v. Searle, 314-320; LizardTech v. Earth Resource Mapping, Inc., 321-327

9/15_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Definiteness and Best Mode: Orthokinetics, M&D 327-332; Note on Standard Oil, 332-337; Note on Functional Language, 337-340; Chemcast, 348-356.

9/21 – 9/25_______________________________________________________________________
*** No Class – Fall Break ***

9/28_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Introduction to Novelty: Intro and Robertson, M&D 357-370; Stat. Supp. 35 USC § 102; In re Hafner and Notes, 380-387; Intro, 393; In re Klopfenstein, 405-413.

9/29_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Novelty II, 102(e) and (f): Note on Novelty and the Economics of Search, M&D 417-421; §102(e): Alexander Milburn, 421-431; §102(f): Campbell, M&D 431-438.

10/5_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Priority, §102(g)(1) & (2): Intro., Brown v. Barbacid, M&D 438-456; Peeler, M&D 456-464; Dow, 468-478; Note on Rule 131, 481-483; Stat. Supp. § 102(g).

10/6_____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Statutory Bars I: Intro and Pennock, Egbert, Moleculon, Metallizing Engineering, M&D 509-536.

10/12____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

On Sale Bar and Experimental Use: Pfaff, 536-550; City of Elizabeth, M&D 555-562; Lough, 562-570.

10/13____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Third Party Activity: Baxter, WL Gore, M&D 570-584; International Considerations, 586-589; Summary & Problems, 589-593.

10/19____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Nonobviousness: Intro, Hotchkiss, Historical Note, Graham, M&D 611-645 [stop reading Graham opinion before discussion of Cook case]; US v. Adams, 653-662.

10/20____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Suggestion Test: Intro (“Subtests”) and  KSR v. Teleflex, 665-685; In re Kubin, Book Supp.

10/26____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

§102/103 Prior Art and Analogous Arts: Intro and Hazeltine, 730-734; Note, Economic Rationale, 743-744; Oddzon, M&D 745-750; Intro & Clay M&D 764-773.

10/27____________________________________________________________________________
class ppt slides

Claims I: Intro and Merrill, 781-787; Intro and Phillips, 787-804; Note on Canons, 804-812.

11/2_____________________________________________________________________________
Claims II: Intro and Wright Co. v. Paulhan, M&D 820-826; Note on Purposive Claim Construction, 826-829; Intro and Markman, 829-839; Phillips (Part II), 845-849.

11/3_____________________________________________________________________________
Claims III: Current Issues, Doctrine of Equivalents: On Demand Machine Corp. v. Ingram Industries, [Link]; Warner-Jenkinson, M&D 856-867.

11/9_____________________________________________________________________________
Prosecution History Estoppel: Festo, 867-881; US Philips v. Iwasaki Electric, [Link].

11/10____________________________________________________________________________
Indirect Infringement and Foreign Activity: Intro and Aro, CR Bard, M&D 908-923; Intro, Brown, and Microsoft v. AT&T, 923-931.

11/16____________________________________________________________________________
Injunctions: Intro, eBay, Notes, z4, Additional Notes, M&D, 933-956; Amazon.com, 956-967.

11/17____________________________________________________________________________
Damages: Panduit, M&D 969-985; Grain Processing, and Note M&D 1000-1019; Note, Entire Market Value Rule, 1025-1029; Amicus Brief, Lucent v. Microsoft, [Link]

11/23____________________________________________________________________________
Willful Infringement, Reissue and Reexamination: In re Seagate Technology, [Link]; Intro to Reissues, M&D 1073; Intro to Reexamination and Rodime and Notes, Note on Inter Partes Reexamination, M&D 1092.

11/24____________________________________________________________________________
Defenses: Prosecution Delay Laches and Antitrust Issues: Symbol Technologies, M&D 1130-1140 ; Illinois Tool, 1243-1258..

11/30____________________________________________________________________________
Coinvention and Ownership: Burroughs-Wellcome; Stark, Eli Lilly, Ethicon, M&D 1142-1180.

Makeup Class - TBA______________________________________________________________
Exhaustion and First Sale: Quanta v. LG Electronics, Book Supp.

Date TBA________________________________________________________________________
Review Session