Appeals over patent review deadlines
Superior Commc'ns v. Voltstar Techs.
In brief
The Supreme Court wiped out the Federal Circuit’s judgment and sent the case back, but did not decide whether the Board’s decision could be appealed.
- Where it stands
- Case remanded
Remanded · April 27, 2020
- What it’s about
- Superior Communications and Voltstar Technologies disputed whether the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s decision to start a patent review could be appealed when the review petition’s compliance with a one-year deadline was at issue.
- Who it affects
- The Federal Circuit must reconsider its judgment in the dispute between Superior and Voltstar; the Supreme Court did not settle whether the Board’s decision to start the review could be appealed.
Summary: written with AI from the case record.
What it's about
The Supreme Court wiped out the Federal Circuit’s judgment (vacated it) and sent the case back for another look (remanded) in light of Thryv, without deciding that appealability question.
A party can ask the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, part of the Patent and Trademark Office, to review a patent.
Question presented
Whether the Federal Circuit’s “all-elements rule” for patent infringement under the doctrine of equivalents—which requires that an accused product contain every element of a patent claim or its equivalent—is consistent with this Court’s precedent in Warner-Jenkinson Co. v. Hilton Davis Chemical Co., 520 U.S. 17 (1997), and Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., 535 U.S. 722 (2002)?
What the Court decided
Holding
Petition granted. Judgment vacated and case remanded for further consideration in light of Thryv, Inc. v. Click-to-Call Technologies, LP, 590 U. S. ___ (2020).
- Result
- Remanded
What's next
The case returns to the Federal Circuit for reconsideration in light of the Supreme Court’s Thryv decision.
Documents
Docket activity
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AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Case data updated: summary, question_presented, generation_metadata
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Sources
Primary materials plus reporting. Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.