throbber
Case 1:O1—cv—O2015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 1 of 15
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 1 of 15
`
`UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`
`FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
`
`SCIMED LIFE SYSTEMS, INC.,
`
`Plaintiff and Counterclaim-Defendant ,
`
`V0
`
`MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.,
`
`Defendant and Counterclaim-Plaintiff,
`
`and
`
`ERIC C. MARTIN,
`
`Defendant and Counterclaim-Defendant.
`
`\-./\../\_/&/‘u./\.—v’\—/\—"-—/\—r’\—/\—/\—/\—n/‘-u.dH./\u/
`
`Civil Case No. 01-2015 (RJL)
`
`5%’
`MEMORANDUM OPINION
`
`(Mmchy, 2006) [# 76, 100, 102, 103]
`
`Plaintiff, Scimed Life Systems, Inc.
`
`(“Scimed”), brought
`
`this action against
`
`defendants, Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (“Medtronic”) and Eric C. Martin, underTitle 35 ofthe
`United States Code Section 146, challenging the Final Decision and Judgment ofthe Board
`ofPatent Appeals and Interferences (the "Board") ofthe United States Patent and Trademark
`Office ("USPTO") regarding Patent Interference No. 104,192 between certain patent
`
`applications for an apparatus for reinforcing a bifurcated lumen. Presently before the Court
`
`are Medtronic’s Motion for Summary Judgment, Seimed’s First and Second Motions for
`
`Summary Judgment, and Medtronic’s Motion to Compel Production of Documents and
`
`1
`
`ENDOLOGIX, INC
`EX. 1018
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 2 of 15
`Case 1:01—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 2 of 15
`
`Things. After due consideration of the parties’ submissions, the relevant law and the entire
`
`record herein, the Court finds that the Board did not erroneously affirm its Grant of the
`
`Fogarty er at]. United States Patent Application Serial No. 08/463,836 (now owned by
`
`Medtronic) Motion 12 in its July 27, 2001 Final Decision and Judgment. Accordingly, this
`
`Court affirms the Board’s Final Decision and Judgment and,
`
`therefore, GRANTS
`
`Medtronie’s Motion for Summary Judgment, DENIES Scimed’s First and Second Motions
`
`for Summary Judgment, and DENIES AS MOOT Medtronic’s Motion to Compel Production
`
`of Documents and Things.
`
`I_.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Plaintiff Scimed and defendant/counterclaimant Medtronic are each assignees of
`
`record oftwo different patent. applications for a bifurcated lumen invention.‘ Andrew Cragg
`
`and Michael Dake (collectively referred to as party “Cragg” in the underlying proceedings
`
`at the USPTO) filed an application with the USPTO regarding the bifurcated lumen
`
`apparatus on June 5, 1995. The application was assigned the serial number 08/461,402 (the
`
`“‘402 application”). Cragg and Dake assigned all rights in the ‘402 application to Boston
`
`Scientific Technology, Inc., which later merged into plaintiff Scimed. Scimed is now the
`
`present legal owner of the ‘402 application. Medtronic was assigned its rights in a patent
`
`application for the same invention by Thomas J. Fogarty, Timothy J. Ryan, and Kirsten
`
`Freislinger (collectively referred to as party “Fogarty” in the underlying proceedings at the
`
`The “Background” section of this Memorandum Opinion has been partially adapted from this
`I
`Court’s earlier Memorandum Opinion in Scimed Life Systems, Inc. V. Medrronic Ave Inc. , 297 F. Supp.
`2d 4 (D.D.C. 2003).
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 3 of 15
`Case 1:0l—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 3 of 15
`
`USPTO). That application was also filed with the USPTO on June 5, 1995, and assigned the
`
`serial number 08/463,836 (the “‘836 application”). Party Fogarty assigned its rights in the
`
`‘S36 application to Medtronic Aneurx, Inc., which merged into Medtronic AVE, Inc. which
`
`later became the defendant/counterclaimant Medtronic. Medtronic is now the legal owner
`
`of the ‘E336 application. Defendant/counterclaim—defendant Eric Martin owns patent No.
`
`5,575,817 (the “Martin” or “‘8 1 7 patent”), based on application 08/293,541, filed on August
`
`19, 2004.
`
`On April 23, 1998, the USPTO Board declared an interference between SciIned's
`
`patent application (the “Cragg” or “‘402 application”), Medtronids patent application (the
`
`“Fogarty” or “‘836 application”) and the Martin patent. This interference proceeding was
`
`assigned Interference No. 104,192, and is referred to as the “‘ 192 interference.” On July 2,
`
`1998, the Board set the following as the sole “count”3:
`
`An apparatus for reinforcing a bifurcated lumen comprising:
`a first section, configured to be positioned within the lumen, comprising:
`an upper limb, configured to fit within the lumen upstream of the bifurcation;
`a first lower limb, configured to extend into the first leg of said bifurcation
`when said first section is positioned in the lumen, and
`
`“The purpose of an interference proceeding is to resolve the question of priority of invention
`2
`when more than one applicant seeks a patent on substantially the same invention.” 3A-10 Donald S.
`Chisum, Chisum on Patents § 10.09[1] [a] (2006). This action was brought in federal Court pursuant to 35
`U.S.C. § 146, which allows a party dissatisfied with the decision of the Board in an interference to bring
`a civil action as long as the Board’s decision is not being appealed to the United States Court of Appeals
`for the Federal Circuit “and such appeal is pending or has been decided.” See 35 U.S.C. § 146.
`
`“A count defines the interfering subject matter. In In re Van Germs (1993), the Federal Circuit
`3
`noted that (1) ‘[a]1though claims of one or more of the parties may be identical to the count of an
`interference, the count is not a claim to an invention,’ and (2) ‘ [t]he count of an interference is merely the
`Vehicle for contesting the priority of invention and determining what evidence is relevant to the issue of
`priority.” 3A—10 Donald S. Chisum, Chisum on Patents § 10.09[3] (2006).
`
`3
`
`

`
`Case 1:0l—cv—02015—RJL Document .107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 4 of 15
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 4 of 15
`
`a second lower limb, shorter that said first lower limb, and configured so that
`when said first section is positioned in the lumen, said second lower limb does
`not extend into a second leg of said bifurcation,
`and further comprising
`a second section configured to be positioned separately within the lumen and
`joined to said second lower limb ofthe first section, effectively extending said
`second lower limb into said second leg of said bifurcation.
`
`Cragg et‘ al. 12. Martin 12. Fogarty er al., Patent Interference No. 104,192, Paper No. 187,
`
`Final Decision and Judgment at 5-6 (United States Patent and Trademark Office, Board of
`
`Patent Appeals and Inferences July 21, 2001)(“Board’ s Final Judgment”). The purpose ofthe
`
`‘ 192 Interference was for the Board to determine who among the three parties had priority
`
`of inventorship, and was, therefore, entitled to the invention defined by the count.
`
`At the time of declaration of the interference, party Cragg was accorded by the
`
`USPTO the benefit of the filing dates of two European patent applications (i.e. February 9
`
`and June 10, 1994), which had been filed by a French Company known as Mintec SARL.
`
`At the time of declaration of the interference, party Fogarty, on the other hand, was accorded
`
`by the USPTO the benefit of the earlier filing date of U.S. patent application 08/255,681:
`
`i.e. on June 8, 1994. Thus, at the start of the interference, party Cragg was designated the
`
`“senior party,”4 on the basis of the accorded benefit date ofFebruary 9, 1994. On March 13 ,
`
`2000, party Fogarty filed a preliminary motion attacking the benefit accorded party Cragg to
`
`“In an interference proceeding, the first party to file is designated as the ‘senior party’ and all
`4
`other parties as ‘junior.’ The junior party bears the burden of going forward with evidence as to actual
`reduction to practice prior to the senior party's filing date or conception prior to the senior party's filing
`date plus continuous and reasonable diligence during the critical period. If the senior party desires to
`show a date of conception or reduction to practice prior to his filing date, he hears the burden of going
`forward with evidence.” - 3A—10 Donald S. Chisurn, Chisum on Patents § 10.03[1][c][ii] (2006).
`
`4
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 5 of 15
`Case 1:0l—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 5 of 15
`
`I. the filing dates of the two European applications and sought to be made the senior party in
`
`the interference. On April 7, 2000, the Board granted party Fogarty’s preliminary motion 12,
`
`declaring party Fogarty the senior party in the interference and party Cragg and party Martin
`
`as junior parties in the interference. Cmgg ez‘ al. v. Martin v. Fogarty ez‘ al., Patent
`
`Interference No. 104,192, Paper No. 130, Decision on Party Cragg’s Motion to Correct the
`
`Preliminary Statement and on Party Fogarty’s Preliminary Motion No. 12 at 7 (United States
`
`‘Patent and Trademark Office, Board of Patent" Appeals and Inferences April 24,
`
`2000)(“Deeision on Preliminary Motion No. 12”). In that same opinion, the Board denied
`
`party Cragg’s motion to amend its preliminary statement to name Michael D. Dake and
`
`Andrew H. Cragg as co-inventors of the party Cragg invention.
`
`Id. at 7. Party Cragg
`
`requested reconsideration ofthat decision claiming that the Board had erred in its ruling and
`
`' claimed that Mintec filed the European applications as assignees of both Dake and Cragg,
`
`the co—inVentors of the subj ect matter of the patent application.
`
`On April 24, 2000, the Board issued a Decision on Reconsideration denying the
`
`request for reconsideration on the basis that Dal<e’s assignment of his rights in the patent
`
`application came after the filing of the European application and that 35 U.S.C. § 119 could
`
`not be interpreted to allow Mintee the benefit of priority With this subsequent assignment of
`
`' ‘rights. Cragg er al. v. Martin 12. Fogarly ea‘ al., Patent Interference No. 104,192, Paper No.
`
`138, Decision on Reconsideration (United States Patent and Trademark Office, Board of
`
`Patent Appeals and Inferences April 24, 2000)(“Board’s Decision on Reconsideration”). In
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 6 of 15
`Case 1:0l—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 6 of 15
`
`its decision, the Board interpreted Title 35 of the United States Code Section 119 to require
`
`that “the previously filed foreign application must have been filed by the person or one who
`
`was, at the time of filing of the previously filed foreign application, already a legal
`
`representative or assign of that person.” Id. at 3. The Board went on to state that their
`
`interpretation of Section 119 “is necessary to ensure a link between the presently involved
`
`application and the earlier filed foreign application with respect to the particular inventor.
`
`A contrary interpretation would cause entitlement to benefit to be negotiable as a commodity
`
`between unrelated entities.” Id. In essence, the Board rejected party Cragg’s position on the
`
`assignment of rights to the patent and stated:
`
`We are unpersuaded that an assigmnent ofownership rights changes on whose
`behalf an application was previously already filed. It would appear that only
`filings subsequent to the assignment of rights from Michael D. Dake can be
`deemed as being executed or performed on his behalf.
`
`Id. at 5. Party‘ Cragg requested a final hearing for review of the Board’s decision claiming
`
`that the Board had erroneously interpreted Section 119 and that Dake and Cragg were co-
`
`inventors and that Mintec SARL was the assignee of both Dake and Cragg for the subject
`
`matter invention even though the assignments occurred after the European patent applications
`
`were filed. See id at 11-23. On July 27, 2001, the Board issued its Final Decision and
`
`Judgment. See Board’s Final Judgment.
`
`In its Final Judgment, the Board adopted its earlier interpretation of 35 U.S.C.§ 119.
`
`Id. at 9. The Board cited Vogel v. Jones, 486 F.2d 1068, 1072 (C.C.P.A. 1973), for the
`
`proposition that “a foreign application made by the assignee of a U.S. applicant, on behalf
`
`6
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 7 of 15
`Case 1:0l—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 7 of 15
`
`of one other that the United States inventor, is irrelevant to the rights of priority of the U.S.
`
`inventor.” -Id. at 10. The Board stated that the “plain statutory language” of Section 119
`
`does not put “an assignee in the same position as if it were a ‘legal representative’ or ‘assign’
`
`ofthe inventor at a previous time when a foreign application for the same invention was filed
`
`by that assignee.” Id. at 12. The Board found that Dake assigned his invention to Mintec,
`
`Inc. more than two years after the filing of the two European patent applications. Id. at 11-
`
`12. The Board went on to state, that even assuming that party Cragg’ s preliminary statement
`
`identified both Cragg and Dake as co-inventors of the subject matter of the count, that fact
`
`would not help party Cragg as “Cragg also did not assign his rights to Mintec, Inc. until
`
`after” the two European patent applications were filed.
`
`Id. at 20. The Board found that
`
`“MINTEC SARL was not an assign of either Michael D. Dake nor Andrew H. Cragg when
`
`it filed European applications EP944oo284.9 and EP944013069.” Id. For those reasons,
`and others, the Board found that there was no error in the granting of party Fogarty’s
`
`preliminary motion 12. Id. at 23.
`
`On September 25, 2001, Scimed filed this appeal under Title 35 of the United States
`
`Code Section 146, seeking this Conrt’s review of the Board’s Final Decision and Judgment
`
`in the ‘I92 Interference. The parties to this action entered into a stipulation and order
`
`limiting the issues in this case. The stipulated issue to be resolved is:
`
`Whether the Board erroneously affirmed its Grant ofF0garty er al. (Medtronic)
`Motion 12 in its July 27, 2001 Final Decision denying Cragg er al. (Scimed)
`benefit of the February 9, 1994 filing date of its European application No.
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 8 of 15
`Case 1:0l—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 8 of 15
`
`944002849 as a date ofinvention for the subject matter ofthe single count in
`Interference No. 104,192.
`
`(See Stipulation and Order entered March 25, 2004, Dkt. 50.) On-July 22, 2005 , both parties
`
`moved for summary judgment on this remaining issue and provided the Court with exhibits
`
`supporting their positions.
`
`_I_L
`
`STANDARD OF REVIEW
`
`Summary Judgment is appropriate when the pleadings and the record demonstrate that
`
`("there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a
`
`' judgment as a matter of law." F-ed. R. Civ. P. 56(0); see also Celotex v. Catrett, 477 U.S.
`
`317, 322 (1986); Diamond v. Atwood, 43 F.3d 1538, 1540 (D.C. Cir. 1995). To determine
`
`' which facts are "material," a Court must look to the substantive law on which each claims
`
`'
`
`rests. Anderson 12. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986). A "genuine issue" is one
`
`Whose resolution could establish an element of a claim or defense and, therefore, affect the
`
`outcome of the action. Celotex, 477 U.S. at 322; Anderson, 477 U.S. at 248. Additionally,
`
`to be a genuine issue of fact, it must be supported by sufficient admissible evidence such that
`
`I a reasonable trier of fact could find for the nonmovant. See Laningham v. United States
`
`"Navy, 813 F.2d 1236, 1242-43 (D.C. Cir. 1987).
`
`The moving party bears the initial burden of "identifying those portions of the
`
`‘pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the
`
`affidavits, if any,’ which it believes demonstrates the absence of a genuine issue of material
`
`6' fact." See Celotex, 477 U.S. at 323. In order to prevail on its motion for summaryjudgment,
`
`8
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 9 of 15
`Case 1:O1—cv—O2015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 9 of 15
`
`the rnovant must Show that the nonmovant "fai1[ed] to make a showing suffi cient to establish
`
`the existence of an element essential to that party's case, and on which that party will bear
`
`the burden of proof at trial." Id. at 322.
`
`In opposing summary judgment,
`
`the “nonmoving party [must] go beyond the
`
`pleadings and by [its] own affidavits, or by the depositions, answers to interrogatories, and
`
`‘admissions on file,’ designate ‘specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for tria .’”
`
`Id. at 324. The Court must view the facts in the light most favorable to the nonmovant,
`
`giving the nonmovant the benefit of all justifiable inferences derived from the evidence in
`
`the record. Anderson, 477 U.S. at 255 (1986). The nonmovant,.however, must establish
`
`more than "the mere existence of a scintilla of evidence" in support ofits position. Id. at 252.
`
`In order for Scimed to prevail on summary judgment, Scimed must put forth evidence
`
`and legal support that meets the standard of proof this Court is required to apply when
`
`reviewing decisions of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences of the USPTO.
`
`In
`
`determining whether or not the Board erroneously affirmed its Grant of party Fogarty’s
`
`preliminary motion 12 and, therefore, erroneously awarded priority for the subj ect matter of
`
`the single count in the ‘ 192 Interference to Medtronic, this Court will apply the standard of
`
`proof set forth in Morgan 12. Daniels, in that when a decision has been made by the Patent
`
`Office in an action contesting priority of invention, “the decision there made must be
`
`accepted as controlling upon that question of fact in any subsequent suit between the same
`
`parties, unless the contrary is established by testimony which in character and amount carries
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 10 of 15
`Case 1:01—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 10 of 15
`
`thorough conviction.” Morgan, 153 U.S. 120, 125 (1894) (emphasis added) (determining
`
`the standard ofreview for a Patent Office decision when no additional evidence was put forth
`
`to the Circuit Court). Our Circuit Court, in United States v. Szuecs, 240 F.2d 886 (D.C. Cir.
`
`1957), upheld the Morgan standard of proof that must be applied by a District Court when
`
`reviewing a decision of the Patent Office pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 146.
`
`“To reach a
`
`conclusion contrary to that of the Patent Office,” the Morgan standard requires the evidence
`
`to carry “‘thorough conviction.” Szuecs, 240 F.2d at 887 (citing Morgan, 153 U.S. at 125)
`
`(reversing and rernanding the case to the District Court to apply the correct standard of
`
`proof).
`
`Another District Court Judge of this Court reaffirmed the application of Morgan in
`
`reviewing Patent Office cases under 35 U.S.C. § 146. Anderson v. Anderson, 403 F. Supp.
`
`834, 844-45 (D.D.C. 1975) (affirming the decision ofthe Board ofPatent Interferences after
`
`reviewing the full administrative record and hearing additional oral testimony), a)j”d, 543
`
`F.2d 1389 (D.C. Cir. Nov. 11, 1976).
`
`In Anderson, Judge John H. Pratt found that the
`
`‘fPatent Office is entitled to a presumption of correctness and regularity.” Id. at 844 (citing
`
`Vogel V. Jones, 346 F. Supp. 1005 (D.D.C. 1972). Judge Pratt went on to reiterate that the
`
`District Court could not overturn the Board’s decision unless the evidence put forth by the
`
`movant carried “thorough conviction,” and “[t]he ‘thorough conviction’ standard imposes
`
`a heavy burden on plaintiffs in an action under 35 U.S.C. § 146,” and that “[a] mere
`
`preponderance of the evidence is not enough to justify reversing the Patent Office.” Id. at
`
`10
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 11 of 15
`Case 1:O1—cv—O2015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 11 of 15
`
`845. For the following reasons, the Court finds that the plaintiff has failed to meet its heavy
`
`burden, and concludes that the Board did not err in its interpretation of Section 119.
`
`_I_1_1_, ANALYSIS
`
`A.
`
`Inter retation 0 35 U.S.C.
`
`119
`
`In the Board’s Final Judgment, it reaffirmed its earlier decision that the “plain
`
`statutory language” of Section 119 requires that the person who filed the foreign patent
`
`application must have been a legal representative or assign of the person who filed the patent
`
`application in the United States at the time that the foreign patent application was filed?
`
`Board’s Final Judgment 9-10. The pertinent part of Section 119 reads:
`
`(a) An application for patent for an invention filed in this country by any
`person‘ who has, or Whose legal representatives or assigns have, previously
`regularly filed an application for a patent for the same invention in a foreign
`country which affords similar privileges in the case of applications filed in the
`United States or to citizens of the United States, or in a WTO member country,
`shall" have the same effect as the same application would have if ‘filed in this
`country on the date on which the application for patent for the same invention
`Was firstfiled in such foreign country.
`
`35 U.S.C. § l19(a). The Board’s interpretation of Section 119 is supported by Vogel v.
`
`Jones, 486 F.2d 1068 (C.C.P.A. 1973). See Board’s Final Decision 10-11.
`
`In Vogel, the
`
`Court of Customs and Patent Appeal, the predecessor to the current Court ofAppeals for the
`
`Federal Circuit, read Section 119 to mean “that an applicant for a United States patent can
`
`rely for priority on the ‘first filed’ application by an assignee on his behalf.” 486 F.2d at
`
`While counsel for Scimed is quick to point out its own grazrnmatical analysis of Section 119
`5
`without citing to any grammar reference guide, the Court notes that it is quite capable of reading the
`statute, interpreting the language of the statute, researching the case law pertaining to the statute and
`-applying that law to the present action.
`
`11
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 12 of 15
`Case 1:O1—cv—O2015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 12 of 15
`
`1072. In order for the foreign patent application to be filed on behalf of the United States
`
`applicant, the person filing the foreign application mustbe an assignee orilegal representative
`
`at the time that the foreign application was filed. Id. If the foreign applicant was allowed
`
`to become the legal representative or assign of the United States applicant after the foreign
`
`application was filed, it would be impossible for the foreign application to have been filed
`
`on the behalfof the United States applicant. If the Board or this Court held otherwise, the
`
`right of priority could be, as the Board noted, traded or sold as a commodity to the highest
`
`bidder. See Board’s Decision on Reconsideration 3; Board’s Final Decision 9. Therefore,
`
`this Court does not find that the Board erred in its interpretation of Section 119 and Scimed
`
`has neither cited any precedent or legislative history that would Warrant interpreting the
`
`statute otherwise?
`
`Sciined argues that the Board’s construction of Section 119 is inconsistent with the Paris
`6
`Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, openedfor signature Mar. 20, 1883, as amended at
`Stockholm, July 14, 1967, 21 U.S.T. 1630, 828 U.N.T.S. 305 (“Paris Convention”), and asks this Court
`to find that the Board’s erroneously construed Section 119 as the Board’s construction is inconsistent
`with and violates Arti-cle 4 of the Paris Convention. While Section 119, and its predecessor R.S. 4887,
`were enacted in order to implement Article 4 of the Paris Convention, Vogel, 486 F.2d at 1072, the
`Board’s construction of Section 119, which this Court finds correct, does not violate and is not
`inconsistent with the Paris Convention. The Paris Convention is not self-executing and, therefore, the
`U.S. was free to implement the Paris Convention in the manner and form that Congress deemed
`appropriate. In re Dr. Matthais Ruth, 402 F.3d 1207, 1209-10 (Fed. Cir. 2005'). Congress executed
`Article 4 of the Paris Convention first with R.S. 48 87, and then with Section 119, and Section l_l9
`requires that in order to claim a right of'pri'ority'in a foreign application, the foreigi application must
`have been fileclfby the.U.S. applicant or a person or entity who was a legal representative or assign ofthe
`U.S. applicant a_t the "time that the foreign application was filed- The concern expressed by Scirned that
`upholding the Bo'ard?s- construction of Section 119 would have in foreign countries is conjecture and
`“based on pure speculation.” See Kawai v. Meflesrics, 480 F.2d 880, 889 (C.C.P.A. 1973).
`
`12
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 13 of 15
`Case 1:01—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 13 of 15
`
`Q Review of Board ’s Decision
`
`Having found that the Board did not err in its reading and interpretation of Section
`
`119," the question remains whether the Board erred in granting Medtronic’s preliminary
`
`motion 12 seeking to deny Scimed the benefit of the filing date of its European patent
`
`applications.
`
`It did not. While a review by this Court of a Board’s Final Decision is a
`
`“hybrid of an appeal and a trial de novo” because the Court considers evidence before the -
`
`Board “as well as evidence that was not before the Board,” Winner Int? Royalty Corp. 12.
`
`Wang, 202 F.3d 1340, 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2000) (quoting Esree Lauderfnc. 12. L ’Orea[, S.A., 129
`
`F.3d 588, 592 (Fed. Cir. 1997)), it-nonetheless must treat the Board’s decision as controlling
`
`“unless the contrary is established by testimony which in character and amount carries
`
`thorough conviction.” Morgan, 153 U.S. at 125.
`
`Scimed argues that the ‘284 European application Was either filed on Dake's behalf
`
`-' “pursuant to the constructive trust imposed upon that application” when Mintec SARL filed
`
`'1 :'the application, or a theory of an equitable assignment to party Cragg. (Scimed's Mem. of
`
`' P&A in Opp'n to Medtronic's Mot. For Summ. J. 29, 35-36 (“Scimed's Opp'n”); Mem. of
`
`P&A in Supp. of Scimed's Second Mot. For Summ J. That Scimed is Entitled to the Priority
`
`of Its EP ‘284 Application Even Under the Board's Construction of 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) ) 31-
`
`33 (“Scimed's Second Mot. For Summ. J As this Court earlier recognized, “[t]he Federal
`
`' Circuit in Conservolite [Inc., v. Widmayer] held that a party's failure to raise the issue in a
`
`preliminary motion notoniy precluded it not from raising the matter at the final hearing, but
`
`13
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 14 of 15
`Case 1:01—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 14 of 15
`
`also precluded district Court review.” Scimedlzfe Systems, Inc. v. Medz‘r0m'cA VE, Inc. , 297
`
`F. Supp. 2d 4, 8 (D.D.C. 2003) (citing Conservolire, Inc. v. Widmayer, 21 F.3d 1098, 1102
`
`(Fed. Cir. 1994)). The Federal Circuit has stated that “[i]n order for an issue to have been
`
`raised adequately so that it qualifies for consideration in a § 146 proceeding, the issue should
`
`I have been raised as specified in the PTO's interference rules, for example, through
`
`preliminary motions, motions to correct inventorship, miscellaneous motions, belated
`
`motions delayed for good cause, or oppositions to these motions.” Conservolite, 21 F.3d at
`
`1 102. Therefore, Scimed is precluded from arguing that the Board erred in denying priority
`
`to Scirned either under the nevvfound constructive trust or equitable assignment theories
`
`I advanced before this Court.
`
`Thus, applying the Morgan standard ofproofto this review and not having conducted
`
`" a de novo review as in Winner, the Court finds that Scimed has not presented sufficient
`
`T evidence that Mintec SARL was either the legal representative or assign of Dake or Cragg
`
`' at the time that the relevant European patent applications were filed. Accordingly, party
`
`' Cragg and Scimed cannot claim the benefit of priority of the European patent applications.
`
`I‘ "Therefore, this Court finds that the Board did not err in its granting of party Fogarty’s
`
`'(Medtonic’s) motion No. 12 which denied Cragg er al. (Scimed) the benefit of the earlier
`
`filing date ofEuropean application No. 944002849 and affirrns the Board’ s award ofpriority
`
`_ to Fogarty er al. (Medtronic) in its July 27, 2001 Final Decision and Judgment.
`
`14
`
`

`
`Case 1:01-cv-02015-RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 15 of 15
`Case 1:01—cv—02015—RJL Document 107 Filed 03/31/06 Page 15 of 15
`
`LL/_.
`
`CONCLUSION
`
`For the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS defendant and counterclaim-plaintiff
`
`I Medtronic’s Motion for Summary Judgment [#100]; DENIES Plaintiff and counterclaim-
`
`defendant Scimed’s First Motion for Summary Judgment [#102]; DENIES Plaintiff and
`
`counterciaim—defendant Scimed’s- Second Motion for Summary Judgment [#103]; and
`
`DENIES AS MOOT defendant and counterclaim-plaintiff Medtronic’s Motion to Compel
`
`Production of Documents and Things [#76]. An order consistent with this decision
`
`accompanies this Memorandum Opinion.
`
`/.
`
`RICHARD .
`
`ON
`
`United States District Judge
`
`15

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket