Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation v. Torrent Pharma Inc., No. 23-2218 (Fed. Cir. 2025) — On January 10, 2025, the Federal Circuit reversed the district court’s opinion that claims of a Novartis patent are invalid for lack of adequate written description, but affirmed the district court’s finding that the claims were not proven invalid for lacking enablement or being obvious over the asserted prior art. The Federal Circuit emphasized that the proper analysis for enablement and written description challenges is focused on the claims and after-arising technology need not be enabled or described in the specification—even when the after-arising technology is found to infringe the claims because the issues of patentability and infringement are distinct. “It is only after the claims have been construed without reference to the accused device that the claims, as so construed, are applied to the accused device to determine infringement.”Continue Reading Federal Circuit Highlights the Importance of Separating Claim Construction and Infringement Analysis When Dealing with After-Arising Technology

On October 1, 2013, the United States Supreme Court agreed to review the “exceptional” case  standard for awarding attorneys’ fees in two separate patent-infringement cases.  Both cases relate to patentees who are non-practicing entities.  The outcome of these cases could potentially deter patent cases brought by non-practicing entities, as prevailing defendants may have an easier time obtaining attorneys’ fees.
Continue Reading United States Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Two Cases That Could Potentially Deter Non-Practicing Entities From Filing Frivolous Suits