Intellectual Property Client Alert: Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in Festo Patent Matter- Potential Doctrine of Equivalents Ramifications
6/1/2001
This advisory announces that on June 18, 2001, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in the matter of Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., Ltd. (Festo). This important patent ruling established that a patent holder is not entitled to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents if a claim amendment was made during prosecution to narrow the scope of a claim for reasons of patentability. The advisory briefly addresses the relevance and future impact of the ruling.
