Decision in IP Matter Involving Patents Related to Shipping Containers

In Bradford Co. v. ConTeyor N. Am., Inc., No. 09-1472, the Federal Circuit faced a judgment in favor of defendant in plaintiff's patent infringement suit, involving patents related to shipping containers used to ship automobile door panels and related parts. 

The court affirmed the district court's decision limiting the priority date of a patent to its own filing date as the applicants' statement to the examiner is a compelling disclaimer of scope that the patent is not entitled to an earlier priority date.  However, district court's finding of noninfringement of two patents is reversed as the court based its finding solely on its revised construction of the term "couple to."  Furthermore, the district court erred in declining to find jurisdiction over a defendant under Rule 4(k)(2) in concluding that plaintiff had not demonstrated that defendant had sufficient contacts with Ohio or Michigan, and that doing so would not comport with due process requirements of the Constitution and federal law. 

Related Resource:

• Full text of Bradford Co. v. ConTeyor N. Am., Inc