Class Notes Flashcards
What is the pleading standard after Twombly?
Plausibility
What is the plausibility standard?
A pleading must contain enough factual allegations to show that the claimed violation is plausible, not just possible.
Does the plausibility standard apply to all federal civil cases?
Yes,
- Twombly - Antitrust
- Iqbal - All civil cases
- Robern - Patent Litigation
What is Fed Civil Procedure Rule 8(a)?
Pleadings require a short and plain statement of the claim entitling he pleader to relief, plus Twombly/Iqbal/Robern plausibility standard.
What is “general” jurisdiction?
If D has continuous and systematic or substantial connections with the forum then any claim can be ajudicated with the forum.
- So many contacts to be at “home” in the forum
What are the first two steps to assess Patent Infringement?
- Claim Construction
- Markman (what does the claim mean)
- Does the Claim read in accused device/process
- Literally
- Doctrine of Equivalents
What are the two defenses to infringement?
- Invalidity
- Unenforceability
What types of remedies are available in an infringement action?
- Injunctive
- Temp or Permanent
- Damages
- Reasonable Royalties
- Lost Profits
What law controls for an appeal from the USPTO or district court in a patent infringement case?
Federal Circuit
What law applies to an appeal of a district court on a Trademark or Copyright infringement action?
Regional Circuit
What law applies to an appeal from the district court for an anti-trust case?
Regional Circuit, unless the issue clearly involves the Federal Circuit’s exclusive jurisdiction.
What is an assignment?
The transfer of all rights in a patent
What is a license?
A promise by the patent holder not to sue for infringement in return for royalties or other concessions.
What types of licenses are there?
- Exclusive
- Non-Exclusive
What is an exclusive license?
One where the licensor transfers “substantially all” of the rights.
What rights does a patent holder have?
Essentially the patent is treated like property, the patent holder can:
- Sell
- Lease
- in whole or part
- Bequeth
- Exclude
Does an assignment or exclusive license have to be in writing?
Yes, and recorded at USPTO
Who has standing to bring a suit of infringement?
- Patent Holder
- Assignee
- Holder of “all substantial rights”
- Exclusive licensee
- with proper joinder of patent holder
What is required to seek a declaratory judgement?
A controversy
What is the test for DJ jurisdiction?
Whether the facts alleged, under all the circumstances, show that there is a substantial controversy beween parties having adverse legal interests, of suffcient immediacy and reality to warrant the issuance of a DJ.
What can trigger a plaintiff to file a DJ action?
- reasonable apprehension of being sued for infringement
- patentee exerts rights under a patent against another party
- a party contends it has the right to engage in accused activity without a license.
What are the “private” factors to be considered when deciding a venue transfer question?
- Relative access to sources of proof
- Availability of subpoena of witnesses
- Cost of attendance of willing witnesses
- Trial be easy, expeditious, and inexpensive
Piper
What are the “public” factors to be considered when deciding a venue transfer question?
- Court congestion
- Localized interests decided at home
- Familiarity with forum law governing the case
- Avoidance of conflicts of law or in the application of foreign law
What 12(b) defenses must be raised in a motion prior to answering the complaint or be waived?
(2) - Lack of personal jurisdiction
(3) - Improper venue
(4) - Improper notice
(5) - Improper service
What 12(b) defenses must be raised in a motion prior to the end of the trial or be waived?
(6) - Failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted
(7) - Join necessary parties
What 12(b) defenses cannot be waived?
(1) - Subject Matter Jurisdiction
What is “specific” jurisdiction?
When D’s contacts with the state relate to the action
Evidence Rulings on Appeal - Standard of Review?
Abuse of Discretion
Rule 401 - Test for Relevance
Evidence is relevant if:
(a) it has a tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence (logical relevance); and
(b) the fact is of consequence in determining the action (material)
What is the Thayer Theory of Relevance?
The theory that Rule 401 is based on, evidence must be logically relevant and material
Who is an “Attorney” for Attorney-Client Privilege?
- Attorney discussing legal details of case
- Ministerial Support Staff of the Attorney (Paralegals, Admin Assistants)
- Specialist Support Staff working on the case (Accountants, Translators, etc.)
What is Confidential in the Attorney-Client Privilege?
Must be an effort made to keep confidential information confidential
- Document control
- Notification of confidential disclosures to client
- Verbal
- Written
- Involve only those who need to know
What is a failure to assert the privilege waiver?
- If the Client or Attorney fail to assert the privilege
- In a court proceeding - raising an objection
- Not asserting privilege during other communications
What is the scope of the Attorney - Client privilege?
- Attorney
- Communication made in confidence for the purpose of obtaining info from a lawyer, for the purpose of providing legal advice to the client
- Client
- Internal Corporate Clients for in-House counsel
- Work Product in anticipation of litigation
- Former Employees (while employed)
- Government Employees (agency staff and attorney’s in civil cases)
- Anyone seeking legal advice from an attorney
What is waiver by inadvertent disclosure?
To determine if an inadvertent disclosure destroys the privilege, the Hydraflow test is used:
- The reasonableness of the precautions taken to avoid disclosure
- The number of disclosures
- The extent of the disclosures
- The promptness of the actions taken to rectify the disclosure
- Whether in the interest of justice the inadvertent disclosure error should be rectified.
What is a communication within the Attorney - Client privilege?
- Assertions if meant to be an assertion
- Verbal
- Written (think of blind client- braille)
- Non-Verbal Actions (think of deaf client - sign language)
What are the four requirements of “Prior Inconsistent Statements” 801(d)(1)(a)?
- The declarant must testify, subject to cross examination, at the current trial
- The prior statement must be inconsistent with the witness’s trial testimony
- The prior statement must have been given under penalty of perjury
- The prior statement must have been given at a trial, hearing, or other proceeding, or at a deposition.
What is the “Control Group” test in Privilege?
The attorney-client privilege only extends to communications between the corporation’s attorney and the control group.
- Those people with control of the decision making of the corporation being advised by the attorney
- Employees at the request of the control group can provide information under the privilege
- Within their corporate duties
- They are aware that the information is for legal purposes
- Kept confidential
- Employees at the request of the control group can provide information under the privilege
What information do “Privilege Logs” contain?
- All authors and recipients of claimed documents
- Date of the documents
- Why they are being withheld
What are the Daubert reliability factors?
Scientific data must be based on;
- Testing
- Peer Review and Publication
- Error Rate
- General Acceptance of data/methods/analysis
What are the ways to waive the Attorney-Client Privilege?
- Express Waiver
- Failure to Assert Privilege
- Voluntary Disclosure
- Putting Protected Information at Issue
- Inadvertent Disclosure
What is an express waiver of the Attorney-Client privilege?
The client (individual or officers of a corporation) makes a disclaimer to the privilege
What is Voluntary Disclosure waiver of the Attorney-Client privilege?
A client voluntarily discloses the content of the confidential communications between themselves and the attorney.