No inequitable conduct because the examiner had available the info from the withheld docs

U.S. Water v. Novozymes was decided on December 15, 2016 on appeal from the Western District of Wisconsin. The patents relate to the production of ethyl alcohol (ethanol) from milled grain. The district court held the asserted claims invalid as inherently anticipated, and denied defendant Novozymes’s summary judgment motion as to inequitable conduct. The …

Treble attorney fees for defending against a fraudulently obtained patent

TransWeb v. 3M was decided on February 10, 2016 on appeal from the District of New Jersey.  Prior than one year before the priority date of the asserted patents, defendant TransWeb’s founder handed out samples (that were arguably prior art) at an industry exposition. The jury found plaintiff 3M’s patents invalid …