#160
By Audrey Millemann
The
Federal Circuit Court of Appeals issued its long-awaited decision in the patent
infringement case,
Phillips v. AWH
Corporation,
2005 WL 1620331 (Fed. Cir. July 12, 2005).#160
The en banc opinion is significant both for what it did hold and what it
did not.
The
court held that patent claims are to be interpreted in accordance with the
specification, and that dictionaries should not be used in the first instance.#160
After requesting briefs on the broader question of whether a district court’s
claim construction decision should be given any deference, and receiving over 30
amicus briefs, the court declined to reach that issue.#160
Continue Reading Claim Construction: A Little Less Uncertain But Still Just As Uncertain