Three Topics: Construing AND as OR; Preserving O2Micro demand; Denying interest

by Dennis Crouch

Michael Kaufman v. Microsoft Corp. (Fed. Cir. 2022)

Kaufman’s US7885981 has a 2000 precedence date and claims a process of routinely building a databases front-finish for person entry.  Kaufman sued Microsoft–asserting that its Dynamic Details products infringed the statements.  A jury agreed, getting the patent claims valid and infringed and awarded $7 million in damages.  The two parties appealed.

The broadest claim has three ways that mainly need

• delivering an output stream from from the server that defines a user interface paradigm (together with user-conversation modes, these types of as “create, retrieve, update and delete” and display formats for just about every manner)
• scanning the database to develop a data model and
• utilizing the info product to assemble a consumer software also with the consumer interface paradigm.

‘918 patent.

The human body of the declare does not include the an “automatic” requirement, but the preamble does: “A strategy for running a server comprising a processor for routinely generating an close-consumer interface for performing with the facts within just a relational databases … , reported approach comprising …”

 

Considerably of Microsoft’s argument focuses on the phrase “automatic.” For the duration of assert building, Microsoft experienced asked for the time period to be construed as which means “no human labor necessary.” At the summary judgment movement listening to, the Judge observed no disagreement about the this means of “automatic,” but rather concluded that the disagreement was about which parts of the procedure had to be automated. Microsoft’s counsel then asked, “Can we solve the declare building situation?” and the district court docket responded , “You agreed on a definition.” At that place, Kaufman’s counsel agreed with the courtroom “I believe we have solved it.”  There was no further briefing on the issue pre trial.

Preserving o2Micro Concern for Appeal: On attraction, Microsoft argued that the district court need to have resolved the declare construction situation as essential by O2Micro.  The Federal Circuit has refused to think about the argument — holding that Microsoft failed to maintain the situation.

After litigation extends past pre-demo and into demo, declare development need to be witnessed as an challenge of jury instructions.  In general, pre-demo objections built all through the pleadings or summary judgment phase will have to be reiterated in the course of trial in purchase to preserve all those objections for attractiveness. FRCP Rule 51(c) calls for a well timed objection on the trial document to any jury directions (or the failure to provide enough guidelines).  Right here, the Federal Circuit retains that same approach must apply to claim construction.

A appropriate claim design provides a authorized conventional for the jury to implement, and so the need of very clear, well timed increasing of an argument for a assert building reflects the solid requirement of well timed elevating of distinct objections to jury guidance.

Kaufman, Slip Op.  One challenge with this panel final decision is that there are rather a several scenarios the place the appellate courtroom has permitted claim building appeals regardless of the absence of on-stage jury instruction objection.  Right here, the appellate panel identified that scenario as “an exception to [the] requirement” that can implement when the issue was “sufficiently elevated and settled earlier.”  In individual, as the Court wrote in 02Micro, the demo-objection prerequisite is only preserved in a scenario where by the declare construction arguments experienced been “made very clear to the district court” and then “fully litigated in and decided” by the district courtroom in this sort of a way that additional objection would be “futile [and] unneeded.” Id.

On enchantment, Microsoft also argued that the jury verdict of infringement was not supported by significant proof given that its Dynamic Knowledge software demanded significant user input – and so was not automatic.  On appeal even though, the Federal Circuit concluded that assert language permitted some human actions (i.e., triggering the various functions).  And, the jury read expert testimony that divided out the human actions of placing-up the operation from the claimed automated steps of scanning”, and so on.

And: One particular of the far more litigated assert phrases is the term “and.”  Listed here, the promises call for many display screen modes: “create, retrieve, update and delete.”  Afterwards, the claims involve that “each claimed method display screen procedures for symbolizing, navigating, and managing” knowledge relationships.  The dilemma below is regardless of whether the claims truly need every single show method supply the consumer all three selections: stand for, navigate, and deal with.  Microsoft’s solution consists of some modes that do not show all the options  as expected by the promises and so argues that it does not infringe.

The district courtroom concluded in a publish-verdict ruling that the term “and” ought to be construed as such as “or.” On attractiveness, the Federal Circuit has affirmed. In its decision, the court especially mentioned that the sole doing work embodiment explained in the specification would only be coated by the statements below an “or” interpretation.  “A declare development that excludes a preferred embodiment is seldom, if at any time suitable and would require remarkably persuasive evidentiary guidance.” Epos Technologies Ltd. v.
Pegasus Systems Ltd., 766 F.3d 1338 (Fed. Cir. 2014).  The court docket also pointed out that the specification regularly used the word “and” in techniques that plainly provided “or.”

Infringement Affirmed.

= = =

While Kaufman received at demo, he appealed the district court’s denial of pre-judgment fascination that could potentially double the award.  The patent statute notably identifies interest as an component of payment:

On finding for the claimant the court docket shall award the claimant damages suitable to compensate for the infringement, but in no function much less than a sensible royalty for the use created of the invention by the infringer, collectively with interest and prices as fixed by the courtroom.

35 U.S.C. § 284. “Generally, prejudgment curiosity need to be awarded from the date of infringement to the date of judgment.” Nickson Industries, Inc. v. Rol Mfg., 847 F.2d 795 (Fed. Cir. 1988). The Supreme Court docket interpreted this provision in its 1983 Typical Motors circumstance, concluding that prejudgment desire is “typically” awarded in patent instances.  The Supreme Courtroom also famous that the statute implies desire is “fixed by the court” and might be denied by a district courtroom dependent on “some justification.”  Basic Motors Corp. v. Devex Corp., 461 U.S. 648 (1983).  In Nickson the Federal Circuit found that undue hold off by the patentee in bringing the lawsuit could justify denying curiosity. See also, Crystal Semiconductor Corp. v. Tritech Microelectronics International, Inc., 246 F.3d 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2001).

In this article, the district court docket gave two factors for denying the award of pre-judgment curiosity.

1. The jury verdict took into account the desire (for the reason that the instructions questioned the jury to supply an award “discounted to present value”).
2. Kaufman was responsible for undue hold off in bringing the lawsuit.

On enchantment, the Federal Circuit observed the denial of interest a apparent abuse of discretion.  The discounting part of the verdict was tied to testimony about common lower price prices, but did not incorporate any evidence or basis for the jury to also estimate or award desire.

Concerning undue hold off, the district court identified a delay, but did not determine proof that the delay was “undue,” i.e,. that it prompted some prejudicial impression on the defendant.  In certain, Microsoft indicated that it “could have” altered its products back in 2011, but did not deliver proof that it “would have” accomplished so.

On remand, the district court docket will will need to incorporate up that interest (and, likely increase publish-judgment desire as effectively primarily based upon the appeal).