Patrick L. Patras

The America Invents Act Affects Patent Litigation, Too!
Patrick L. Patras, October 11, 2011
On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed into law the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (Act). While much has been written about the Act’s numerous provisions relating to the rules and processes for obtaining patents, the same cannot be said for the provisions that likely will have a...

U.S. Supreme Court Maintains Clear and Convincing Evidence Standard of Proof for Patent Invalidity
Patrick L. Patras, June 27, 2011
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 9, 2011 issued its highly awaited opinion in Microsoft Corp. v. i4i Limited Partnership, 2011 WL 2224428. In the end, the Court unanimously maintained the clear and convincing evidence standard of proof for establishing patent invalidity. Microsoft had argued for a...

U.S. Supreme Court Raises Knowledge Bar For Inducing Patent Infringement
Patrick L. Patras, June 17, 2011
On May 31, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. v. SEB S.A., 2011 WL 2119109, held that “willful blindness,” rather than mere “deliberate indifference to a known risk that a patent exists,” is the minimum showing required to establish knowledge of a patent...