© 1997, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015–2018 American Intellectual Property Law Association
Disclaimer
The Model Jury Instructions are provided as general assistance for the litigation of patent issues. While efforts have been, and will be made, to ensure that the Model Jury Instructions accurately reflect existing law, this work is not intended to replace the independent research necessary for formulating jury instructions that are best suited to particular facts and legal issues. AIPLA does not represent that the information contained in the Model Jury Instructions is accurate, complete, or current. The work could contain typographical errors or technical inaccuracies, and AIPLA reserves the right to add, change, or delete its contents or any part thereof without notice.
I.Introduction 3
II.Preliminary Jury Instructions 5
A.The Nature of the Action and the Parties 5
i. United States Patents 5
ii. Patent Litigation 6
B. Contentions of the Parties 7
C. Trial Procedure 8
III.Glossary of Patent Terms 9
IV.Glossary of Technical Terms 10
V.Post-Trial Instructions 10
1. Summary of Patent Issues 10
2. Claim Construction 10
2.0 Claim Construction—Generally 10
2.1 Claim Construction for the Case 11
2.2 Construction of Means-Plus-Function Claims for the Case 11
3. Infringement 12
3.0 Infringement—Generally 12
3.1 Direct Infringement—Knowledge of the Patent and Intent to Infringe Are Immaterial 13
3.2 Direct Infringement—Literal Infringement 13
3.2.1 Direct Infringement—Joint Infringement 14
3.3 Literal Infringement of Means-Plus-Function or Step-Plus-Function Claims 15
3.4 Infringement of Dependent Claims 16
3.5 Infringement of “Comprising of”, “Consisting of”, and “Consisting Essentially of” Claims 16
3.6 Direct Infringement—Infringement under the Doctrine of Equivalents 17
3.7Limitations on the Doctrine of Equivalents—Prior Art 19
3.8 Limitations on the Doctrine of Equivalents—Prosecution History Estoppel 19
3.9 Limitations on the Doctrine of Equivalents—Subject Matter Dedicated to the Public 20
3.10 Actively Inducing Patent Infringement 21
3.11 Infringement by Supply of All or a Substantial Portion of the Components of a Patented Invention to Another Country (§ 271(f)(1)) 22
3.12 Contributory Infringement 22
3.13 Infringement by Supply of Components Especially Made or Adapted for Use in the Patented Invention into Another Country (§ 271(f)(2)) 23
3.14 Infringement by Import, Sale, Offer for Sale or Use of Product Made by Patented Process (§ 271(g)) 24
4.Summary of Invalidity Defense 24
5. Prior Art 25
5.0 Prior Art Defined 25
5.0.1 Prior Art Defined (for pre-AIA patent claims) 25
5.0.2 Prior Art Defined (for post-AIA patent claims) 25
5.1 Prior Art Considered or Not Considered by the USPTO 27
5.2 Invalidity of Independent and Dependent Claims 27
5.3 Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art 28
6. Anticipation 28
6.0 Anticipation 28
6.1 Prior Public Knowledge 29
6.1.1 Prior Public Knowledge (Pre-AIA) 29
6.1.2 Prior Public Knowledge (Post-AIA) 30
6.2 Prior Public Use 30
6.2.1 Prior Public Use (Pre-AIA) 30
6.2.2 Prior Public Use (Post-AIA) 32
6.3 On Sale Bar 32
6.3.1 On Sale Bar (Pre-AIA) 32
6.3.2 On Sale Bar (Post-AIA) 33
6.4 Experimental Use 34
6.5 Printed Publication 35
6.5.1 Printed Publication (Pre-AIA) 35
6.5.2 Printed Publication (Post-AIA) 36
6.6 Prior Invention 37
6.6.1 Prior Invention (Pre-AIA Only) 37
6.6.2 Prior Invention (Post-AIA Only) 38
6.7 Prior Patent 38
6.7.1 Prior Patent (Pre-AIA) 38
6.7.2 Prior Patent (Post-AIA) 39
6.8 Prior U.S. Application 39
6.8.1 Prior U.S. Application (Pre-AIA) 39
6.8.2 Prior U.S. Application (Post-AIA) 40
7.Obviousness 40
7.0 Obviousness 40
7.0.1 Obviousness (Pre-AIA) 41
7.0.2 Obviousness (Post-AIA) 41
7.1 The First Factor: Scope and Content of the Prior Art 42
7.2 The Second Factor: Differences Between the Claimed Invention and the Prior Art 43
7.2.1 The Second Factor: Differences Between the Claimed Invention and the Prior Art (Pre-AIA) 43
7.2.2 The Second Factor: Differences Between the Claimed Invention and the Prior Art (Post-AIA) 45
7.3 The Third Factor: Level of Ordinary Skill 47
7.3.1 The Third Factor: Level of Ordinary Skill (Pre-AIA) 47
7.3.2 The Third Factor: Level of Ordinary Skill (Post-AIA) 47
7.4 The Fourth Factor: Other Considerations 48
13.Enablement 49
9. Written Description Requirement 51
10. Unenforceability (Inequitable Conduct) 52
10.0 Inequitable Conduct—Generally 53
10.1 Materiality 53
10.1.1 Materiality (Non-disclosure Cases Only) 53
10.1.2 Materiality (Affirmative Egregious Misconduct Cases Only) 54
10.2 Intent to Deceive or Mislead 54
11. Damages 55
11.0 Damages—Generally 55
11.1 Date Damages Begin 56
11.1.1 Alternate A—When the Date of the Notice of Infringement Is Stipulated 56
11.1.2 Alternate B—When the Date of the Notice of Infringement Is Disputed—Product Claims 56
11.1.3 Alternate C—When the Date Damages Begin Is the Date the Lawsuit Was Filed 57
11.2 Damages—Kinds of Damages That May Be Recovered 57
11.2.1 Lost Profits 58
11.2.2 Price Erosion 62
11.2.3 Cost Escalation 62
11.2.4 Convoyed Sales 63
11.2.5 Reasonable Royalty 63
11.3 Doubts Resolved Against Infringer 69
11.4 Standards-Essential Patents 69
12. Willful Infringement 69
12.0 Willful Infringement—Generally 70
12.1 Willful Infringement—Reliance on Legal Opinion 70
VI.Acknowledgments 72