277W – Patent Law (Sp08)

Meeting Time:
MTu 11:15-12:30

Meeting Location:
Boalt 100

Instructor:
Robert P. Merges
438 Law Building (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 case supplement (referred to as “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 (2007) (referred to as “Stat. Supp.”).

I will have regular office hours, Mondays 1:15-2:30, or by appointment. My office is in room 438, North Addition; phone 643-6199; email rmerges@law.berkeley.edu.

Past Patent Law Exams

Spring 2004
Fall 2004
Spring 2005
Spring 2006

Date & Assignment

 January 14
  • Historical Introduction M&D 1-13
  • Introduction to the patent document, pp. 13-26
  • Introduction to Claims & Patent System: M&D 26-66.
 PPT 
 January 15
  • 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
  PPT
 January 21
  • Patent “Exhaustion” and First Sale: LG Electronics, Inc. v. Bizcom Electronics, Inc., 453 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2006), Supplement. (Cert. has been granted in this case, and it will be argued before the Supreme Court on 1/16/08; see Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc., No. 06-937.)
 
 January 22
  • Patentable Subject Matter: Software and Business Methods: State Street Bank, M&D 156-181; 196-200
  PPT
 January 28
  • Utility: Brana, M&D 230-240; Ex parte Fisher, M&D 240-256
  PPT
 January 29
  • Enablement and Written Description: Intro and Incandescent Lamp, M&D 261-272
  • Intro. & Gentry Gallery, M&D 299-309
  • Stat Supp. 35 USC § 112
  PPT
 February 4
  • Written Description II: Rochester v. Searle, 314-320
  •  LizardTech v. Earth Resource Mapping, Inc., 321-327
  PPT
 February 5
  • Definiteness and Best Mode: Orthokinetics, M&D 327-332
  • Note on Standard Oil, 332-337
  • Note on Functional Language, 337-340
  • Chemcast, 348-356
  PPT
 February 11
  • 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
  PPT
 February 12
  • 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
  PPT
 February 18  ** President’s Day:  No Class**  
 February 19
  • 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)
  PPT
 February 25
  • Statutory Bars I: Intro and Pennock, Egbert, Moleculon, Metallizing Engineering, M&D 509-536
 
 March 3
  • On Sale Bar and Experimental Use: Pfaff, 536-550
  • City of Elizabeth, M&D 555-562
  • Lough, 562-570
  PPT
 March 4
  • Third Party Activity: Baxter, WL Gore, M&D 570-584
  • International Considerations, 586-589
  • Summary & Problems, 589-593
  PPT
 March 10
  • Nonobviousness: Intro, Hotchkiss, Historical Note, Graham, M&D 611-645 [stop reading Graham opinion before discussion of Cook case]
  • US v. Adams, 653-662
  PPT
 March 11
  • Suggestion Test: Intro (“Subtests”) and  KSR v. Teleflex, 665-685
  • US PTO, KSR Examination Guidelines, 2007, Supplement; Leapfrog Enterprises v. Fisher-Price, Supplement
  PPT
 March 17
  • §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
  PPT
 March 18
  • Claims I: Intro and Merrill, 781-787
  • Intro and Phillips, 787-804
  • Note on Canons, 804-812
  PPT
 March 24 – March 28  SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS  
 March 31  No class  
 April 1  No class  
 April 7
  • 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
  PPT
 April 8   PPT
 April 14   PPT
 April 15
  • Indirect Infringement and Foreign Activity: Intro and Aro, CR Bard, M&D 908-923
  • Intro, Brown, and Microsoft v. AT&T, 923-931
  PPT
 April 17
  • Injunctions: Intro, eBay, Notes, z4, Additional Notes, M&D, 933-956
  • Amazon.com, 956-967
  PPT
 Video
 April 21
  • Damages: Damages: Panduit, M&D 969-985
  • Grain Processing, and Note M&D 1000-1019
  • Note, Entire Market Value Rule, 1025-1029
  • Proposed Damages Provision, Patent Reform Act of 2008, To Be Supplied
  PPT
 April 22   PPT
 April 28
  • Ad Law Issues: Intro and Zurko, M&D 1045-1057
  • Reissue, Intro M&D Mentor and Note
  • Note on Intervening Rights, 1079-1086
  • Intro to Reexamination and Rodine and Notes
  • on Inter Partes Reexaminations and Foreign Oppositions, 1092-1102
  PPT
 April 29
  • Defenses: Prosecution Delay Laches and Antitrust Issues: Symbol Technologies, M&D 1130-1140 
  • Illinois Tool, 1243-1258
  PPT
 Video
 May 1
  • Coinvention and Ownership: Burroughs-Wellcome
  • Stark, Eli Lilly, Ethicon, M&D 1142-1180
  PPT
 Video
 Review Session  TBA