On April 30 the U.S. Supreme Court finally issued its long-awaited decision on KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc. et al. The nine justices ruled in favor of KSR, a Canadian gas pedal maker, in its patent dispute with rival Teleflex. The high court invalidated Teleflex’s patent on an electronic gas pedal for reasons of obviousness. On the same day, the justices sided with Microsoft Corp. over its patent dispute with AT&T Corp., declaring that the software giant was not required to pay damages on infringing products it sold in foreign countries.
The two rulings, and at least two other recent Supreme Court decisionseBay v. MercExchange and MedImmune v. Genentech have weakened the position of patent holders by making it easier for others to invalidate and challenge patents in court. This may wind up being good news for technology companies, which have been surrounded by a blizzard of suits filed by patent-holding companies.
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