Broadening Federal Circuit Jurisprudence: Moving Beyond Federal Circuit Patent Cases

Abstract

Federal Circuit patent jurisprudence has typically focused on Federal Circuit law and Federal Circuit precedent. However, recent Supreme Court decisions such as eBay v. MercExchange, MedImmune v. Genentech, MGM v. Grokster, and KSR Intl. v. Teleflex cases have challenged that default position. These cases represent a directive from the Supreme Court that the interpretation of patent law doctrine requires a consideration of history and doctrines that arise from other areas of law. In this essay, I examine the recent Federal Circuit decision of SEB v. Montgomery Ward and consider whether the case represents a shift in Federal Circuit jurisprudence toward an increased influence of non-patent considerations when deciding patent cases and patent issues.

Keywords: federal circuit, patent, MercExchange, Medlmmune, Grokster, Teleflex, federal circuit precedent, SEB, Montgomery Ward, non-patent