Intellectual Property Law

Eduardo C. Robreno: Always Read the Footnotes

By Karen E. Keller, Andrew A. Lundgren et al.

Sometimes, the footnotes tell the whole story. In this case, that expression is literally true: district judge Eduardo C. Robreno's recitation of the facts and his analysis are contained within one extraordinary footnote. That analysis, moreover, is significant.

In its decision released Tuesday, the Court delineated the scope of pleading, on information and belief, the "deceptive intent" element of the inequitable-conduct defense. In short, the answer is no:

"Even assuming that the Court adopts a liberal interpretation of the inference of intent to deceive, Defendants present no specific facts showing Plaintiff . . . actually possessed any knowledge with respect to the commercial availability of the Components. Absent some particularized showing regarding this knowledge, the Amended Answer does not satisfy the Rule 9(b) pleading requirement in light of [Federal Circuit precedent]."

Inventio AG v. Thyssenkrupp Elevator Americas Corp., C.A. No. 08-874-ER (D. Del. Feb. 2, 2010) (Robreno, J., sitting by designation).

Full post as published by Delaware IP Law Blog on February 04, 2010 (boomark / email).