The July 2019 Update covers the following developments across the U.S. and Germany:

United States

• U.S. Congress Introduces Bill Addressing Patent Subject Matter Eligibility
• PTAB’s “Precedential Opinion Panel” Continues to Designate as Precedential Discretionary Decisions Denying Institution of IPR Petitions Based on Serial Filings, Repetitive Parties, and Repetitive Invalidity Grounds
• Federal Circuit Dismisses IPR Appeal for Lack of Standing Despite Competition Between Subsidiary and Patent Owner, and Supreme Court Declines to Hear Standing Case

Germany

• German Federal Supreme Court Rules That Patent Proprietor Can Request Surrender of Infringer’s Profit Even Where Damage Claim Is Time Barred – German Federal Supreme Court, X ZR 109/16 – Power Supply Device (“Spannungsversorgungsvorrichtung”)
• Test for Suspension of Infringement Proceedings in Case of Limited Patent Defense in Nullity Proceeding – Higher Regional Court Karlsruhe, 6 W 69/18 – Empfangsanordnung 
• German Federal Supreme Court on Inadmissible Extension – German Federal Supreme Court, X ZR 56/17 – Schaltungsanordnung III
• German Federal Supreme Court on the Relevance of Prior Art for Claim Construction – Federal Supreme Court, X ZR 16/17 – Headlight Ventilation System (“Scheinwerferbelüftungssystem”)

For more information, please click on the download link with the detailed update (English, 日本語, 한국어), or contact partners Joe Raffetto (Washington, D.C.) or Steffen Steininger (Munich).

Authored by Joe Raffetto, Steffen Steininger, Corey Leggett, Katharina Berghofer, Verena Dormann, Daniel Kaneko and Phillipp Simon