Apotex Usa, Inc. v. Merck & Co., Inc.
254 F.3d 1031 (2001)
Legal Analysis
Legal analysis from Dean's Law Dictionary will be displayed here.
Nature Of The Case
This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.
Facts
P is the assignee of the '780 and '962 patents, which relate to a process for making a stable solid formulation of enalapril sodium for use in the treatment of high blood pressure. D manufactures enalapril sodium under the trade name VASOTEC (R) and has been continuously manufacturing and commercially selling VASOTEC (R) tablets since 1983. D owns both U.S. and Canadian patents covering the enalapril sodium compound but does not own a patent covering its process of manufacturing VASOTEC (R). In 1992, D disclosed the ingredients utilized in its VASOTEC (R) manufacturing process in a Canadian product monograph, and more than 30,000 copies of the monograph were distributed in 1993 alone. D also disclosed the ingredients used in manufacturing RENITEC (R) (the trademark used for its enalapril sodium product sold in various foreign countries) in the 1988 edition of the Dictionnaire Vidal, a French pharmaceutical dictionary. In 1991, D sued Px's Canadian affiliate for infringement of D's Canadian patent covering the enalapril sodium compound. During the 1994 trial D performed a step-by-step narration of a videotape demonstrating D's process of manufacturing VASOTEC (R). Within days of hearing this testimony, Dr. Bernard Sherman, a P official, allegedly conceived the patented process at issue. P filed the present action D, alleging that d's process of manufacturing VASOTEC (R) infringes all of the claims of both the '780 and '962 patents. Both parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment on the issue of infringement, and D cross-moved for summary judgment of invalidity under §102(g). The court granted P's motion for summary judgment of infringement, but also granted D's cross-motion for summary judgment of invalidity because it found that D invented the process claimed in the '780 and '962 patents within the United States before P, and did not abandon, suppress, or conceal that invention within the meaning of § 102(g). P appealed.
Issues
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Holding & Decision
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