Patent Infringement

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US Supreme Court

Case Name: Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc.

Case No.: 14-1513

Focus: Patent Infringement

The Seagate test is not consistent with 35 U.S.C. §284

“The pertinent language of §284 contains no explicit limit or condition on when enhanced damages are appropriate, and this Court has emphasized that the “word ‘may’ clearly connotes discretion.” Martin v. Franklin Capital Corp., 546 U. S. 132, 136. At the same time, however, “[d]iscretion is not whim.” Id., at 139. Although there is “no precise rule or formula” for awarding damages under §284, a district court’s “discretion should be exercised in light of the considerations” underlying the grant of that discretion. Octane Fitness, LLC v. ICON Health & Fitness, Inc., 572 U. S. ___, ___. Here, 180 years of enhanced damage awards under the Patent Act establish that they are not to be meted out in a typical infringement case, but are instead designed as a sanction for egregious infringement behavior

Vacated and Remanded

Dissenting:

Concurring: BREYER, KENNEDY, ALITO

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Attorney Derek A. Hawkins is the managing partner at Hawkins Law Offices LLC, where he heads up the firm’s startup law practice. He specializes in business formation, corporate governance, intellectual property protection, private equity and venture capital funding and mergers & acquisitions. Check out the website at www.hawkins-lawoffices.com or contact them at 262-737-8825.